One Bizarre Emperor
by Omniwriter1234
Summary: Issei Hyoudou only wants a quiet life. If so, why is he like a magnet for supernatural disasters? Regardless of how willing of one he may be, he's definitely a bizarre one in the long list of Red Dragon Emperors.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

 **AN:** There's a LONG story to this. But I'm not a fan of long author notes. This will literally be the only one in the first five chapters of this thing.

I just wanted to try something different.

Enjoy.

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"You…disgust me." The brunette didn't move to dodge the spear of light soaring towards his chest. He knew he didn't need to. A red gauntleted hand took hold of the head of the no doubt deadly weapon without issue before its hand clenched shut and shattered it into far less threatening shards of light.

"W-What the hell?" Rayanare, the Fallen Angel had plans to kill the Sacred Gear user in front of her but things immediately changed. 'He's supposed to just have some stupid Twice Critical?' Her eyes drifted to the still present red armored arm that remained in front of the teen she planned to kill. 'What the hell is that thing?'

Slowly more took shape, a haze seemed to leave the bulky armored figure that stood next to the teen, one arm extended and responsible for stopping her attack. A number of large green gems emerged from the armor at the chest, legs, elbows, and on the back of the armored figure's hand. Green light flashed from the green lenses that concealed its eyes.

"I never really thought I would see a woman like you…or be so disgusted when you have such great oppai." His speech would have been something worth listening to if it wasn't for the blood leaking from his nose and where his eyes were focused.

"Y-You filthy pervert!" Rayanare allowed her fury to guide her blows next, two light spears thrown down towards the teen who should already be bleeding out on the ground but was somehow still alive. "Die!"

"That's not going to work." His hands fell into his pockets as the armored figure was before him, its hands once again grabbing hold of the weapons of light, divine instruments wielded by Angels, pure and Fallen alike, to purge the Earth from filth like Devil, and they shattered into shards of light.

A third spear, thrown, was easily intercepted with one hand and shattered.

"Are you deaf or something?" Blood still trickled form his nose as Rayanare let loose a scream, expelling only a miniscule fraction of her anger at the pervert in front of her, calling two more spears to her hand and throwing herself down to the boy. She would kill him personally for what he had just said.

"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOUR HEAD OFF YOU FUCKING DOG!"

"I-" Is as far as she actually got.

"It was stupid to come so close." The blood was gone, eyes devoid of light looked past the shattered remains of her weapons, the twin armored hands responsible drawing back, fingers curling back into the palm of the hand. "King's Dragon has terrible range…it becomes useless really if you stay away from me." She couldn't move, glowing green chains emerged from the central gem and bound her arms to her side. She was drawn in closer no matter how much she tried to struggle. "It's not like you could escape from all this with the wings on your back."

He shrugged.

He lifted one of his hands free of his pockets and moved in such a way his side was facing Rayanare's bound form. He leaned forward, shifted his left leg to widen his stance and bent his right knee. One finger from his hand was pointed directly towards her bust.

"For disrespecting the divine gift given to you by your use of it to spread misfortune and suffering, face the wrath of the man who will be a Harem King!" His eyes blazed with an intensity like no other, held power few could dream of matching, his blood ran freely from his nose like a river, and his perverted grin as he looked at her breasts was beyond any other.

'What the fuck?' It was all Rayanare could think of the sight. Then she saw the armored fists flying towards her.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" With that battle cry from the armored figure, a barrage of blows, each more powerful than the last, struck against her restrained form. She could do nothing to defend herself, to avoid any strike, to try and escape the relentlessly blows. All she could feel was pain but it was, almost mercifully, short.

She crumpled to the ground when they suddenly ceased and she was freed, the teen sighing as he returned to a more normal stance with his hand in his pocket once more.

"That should about do it Yuma-chan." He turned around and towards the fountain he had been brought to by what should have been his murderer. "I'm sorry it had to come to this but…" Another sigh, one holding a deep despair the likes of which one who had discovered something great yet terrible could empathize with, moved past his lips once more. He looked to the water. "Those who misuse such a divine gift like you've been given must be punished without remorse. It is my duty to show no mercy to the likes of you."

'I-Is he serious?' She forced her body to move, at least let her look up at the disgusting human that had beaten her so thoroughly without throwing a single punch. He had only posed and let the red warrior deliver each and every devastating blow. 'HOW? How can a stupid perverted dog be so powerful? Is he a Magician instead? Did he bind some filthy Yokai to him?' Immediately such a thought was discarded.

She could not fall to such creatures. Her shining light would have made it flee in pain or be destroyed.

'What the hell kind of monster is he?' She could no longer keep her head up, darkness swam up around her, and she fell.

"It'll be a shame for beauty like that to be tarnished anymore." She didn't strike the ground, a red almost tail like appendage from the armored warrior responsible for her unconscious state snaked around her waist and drew her up into the air. Her brown haired victim looked at her for a moment before gesturing towards a bench. "I guess you'll just be at the mercy of fate." He was already turning away and walking off as she was sat down. The armored figure vanished from sight.

His hands felt a paper in his pocket then and he drew it out, one of his eyebrows raised in curiosity as he looked at it.

There was nothing on it.

"You must be behind this, right King's Dragon?" He held the piece of paper up between two fingers, the green eyes of King's Dragon locking onto it before he received a swift nod. The teen found it in himself to chuckle before he let the paper fall from his hand, ride the sudden breeze sweeping through the park, and gently rest in the water of the fountain. "You're always looking out for me, aren't you?"

He received another nod and laughed once more as he headed home.

"Now if only this date wasn't a bust."

The next day, the same boy walked into Kuoh Academy yawning. He had trouble getting to sleep that night thanks to his parent's worry over where he had been. He had told him he had gotten a date and it had ended with the girl never wanting to see him again.

His father had patted him on the back. "You'll find the right girl son, trust your old man."

His mother had hugged him with rage in her eyes. "That b-" His father had stopped her before she could continue and the two had left to bed. Issei used headphones to drown out any and all noise in the house as usual at night.

'Man…I wish Yuma-chan didn't turn into some winged girl and want to kill me.' He stopped blood from raining from his nose through sheer force of will. 'Her oppai were wonderful.' He could imagine them now actually, so round and so perfect that he just wanted to grab hold of them. 'This is just terrible.' He sighed at the lost opportunity. 'How come she couldn't let me have a couple more dates before she showed her true colors and made me have to punish her?'

He found his seat on autopilot. He sunk into it with another sigh not unlike the one he had let out upon beating the girl he thought honestly wanted to date a guy like him.

'I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It should have been obvious she was some supernatural force, no true human could have a chest so wonderful I'm depressed just thinking about never getting to see it again.' He didn't let his thoughts drag him down any longer.

The teacher had arrived after all.

It was lunch when he stood on the roof with his two friends, a magazine that shouldn't be on school ground shared between the duo while he took quick peeks at it a few times but otherwise was focused on the book King's Dragon had grabbed for him like normal.

His morning was rather simple, a five step process actually.

Step One: Wake up incredibly late.

Step Two: Rush to get ready.

Step Three: Don't look in a mirror.

Step Four: Bid a hasty goodbye to his parents.

Step Five: Have King's Dragon fly him across Kuoh and drop down near Kuoh Academy.

It was truly a miracle that he was never late.

"Hey, Matsuda, Motohama, can I ask you a question?" He failed to gain the attention of his two friends, perverted giggles escaping them in addition to their nose bleeds. He sighed before King's Dragon slammed the magazine onto the rooftop. "Are you two listening to me now?" The two weren't. Their focus remained on the magazine now pressed into the ground by King's Dragon's hand.

'You've got to be kidding me.' The red armored knight returned to his side and he covered one eye with his hand. 'These guys are seriously perverts.'

"Blow it away." Issei's whisper received a stiff nod.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" Each swing of its arms produced wind and in a blur of motion a gale ripped the magazine free from the ground and sent it flying off the rooftops to the sudden cries of dismay of the two students that were looking at it. Expert aim let it land in front of a group of walking girls who immediately destroyed it.

"Those beautiful evil beauties." Both boys had fallen to their knees, their despair too great to allow them to stand. Tears struck the ground. "How can they be so heartless and destroy a gift from the heavens themselves like that!" Issei glanced to King's Dragon, the armored knight fading away without comment on the scene. "How can they live with themselves? How can they spread such pain to a man's soul and feel nothing about it?"

"So…can I ask you a question now?" Issei now had managed to gain their attention. They both turned to him and he had a feeling they would have attacked him if the door didn't swing open at just that moment.

"I thought I'd find you up here." Yuuto Kiba stood in the doorway. His appearance had frozen the two in shock and Issei would have probably been the same if he was moving. He was only as still as a statue where he stood.

"Who are you looking for?" It was a miracle Issei didn't growl those words or add on a 'bastard'. All three of them could agree to hate the 'Prince of Kuoh' with all their heart.

"I've been sent by Rias-sama to ask that you come see her in the Occult Research Club's clubroom during lunch."

'WHAT?'

"WHAT?"

Issei may not have been vocal with his own confusion, his face somehow blank, but Motohama and Matsuda were vocal when they screamed theirs out for the world to hear. Then they turned to him, rage, hatred, and jealousy burning in their eyes.

"YOU GET TO SEE AN ONEE-SAMA!" Both threw their fists towards him, Kiba's eyes widening where he stood in the doorway, and Issei only held his hands up with his palms facing the two, curling back his index finger and laying his thumb over the nail, his other three fingers raised and spread out.

"SUFFER YOU BASTARD!"

"Flick." He struck both in their chest. King's Dragon burst to life in front of him with red armored fists cocked back.

"ECHIECHI!" King's Dragon unleashed a furious barrage of a dozen blows on both in that instant. Issei didn't want the two seriously hurt.

The two were sent hurtling back across the rooftop a second after his 'strike' to both. They skidded to a halt near the edge and groaned where they had both landed next to each other.

"L-Lucky…"

"B-B-Bastard…"

Neither remained conscious after that joint thought. Issei looked at his two friends for a moment before rolling his eyes and bent down to reach into his bag.

"You two need to stop reacting like that." He drew out a pair of magazines and threw them towards his friends before turning to the unwelcomed guest on the rooftop. He crossed his arms over his chest. "So, what did you want again?" He had forgotten.

"Rias-sama wants to see you." Yuuto stepped out of the doorway and Issei looked to his unconscious friends and then to the handsome blonde bastard in front of him. "Now."

King's Dragon appeared behind him when Yuuto took another step and Issei's eyes narrowed when he saw the blonde's eyes widen, his hands ball into fists at his side. His body was tensing, his eyes were suddenly unlike a typical high schooler and alert. All those signs and more showed he was ready to fight at a moment's notice. King's Dragon fist moved and the teen responded, taking a hasty step back.

'He can see it.' The thought didn't stun Issei like he thought it would. He didn't feel anything beyond what one would feel when someone said the sky was blue. It was nothing more than a fact of life at the moment. The Prince of Kuoh, the bastard, could see King's Dragon. 'Does he have one too? Is he trying to get me alone to fight?' His eyes flashed to the stairwell. It was secluded, isolated, and any number of things could be hidden within. 'It's an ambush.' He was certain.

"I'll pass." He jerked his thumb towards his friends. "Those two will get into trouble if I'm not around to keep them in line."

"That's a shame." Yuuto didn't step back out onto the rooftop. "Is there another time you can meet with Rias-sama then?"

"She can just come to me." Issei didn't move any closer to the doorway. He barely suppressed King's Dragon from showing itself again. "I'm here for lunch all the time you know."

"I'll talk to Rias-sama about it then." Yuuto was gone. The door closed behind him. Issei's glanced down to where his hand gripped his arm.

It was shaking.

"King's Dragon." Issei let the armored knight shot forward with a shout.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" It's fists flew in front of the door but never struck it, each blow instead unleashed a green pulse that washed over the door. The green wave moved down the stairwell, rippled over the walls, and traveled down the halls of the building. Each pulse revealed more and more to Issei, more to King's Dragon, and let the boy know how dangerous the school he thought harmless was.

'There are more of them…so many…' He felt his stomach drop, horror chilled his blood to ice, and he couldn't stand on trembling legs anymore. He fell to his knees, his body breaking out into a cold sweat, his eyes widening as more was revealed to him, more was shown to him as King's Dragon continued striking the air and releasing more energy. Everything was coming too fast, he was learning too much, and his hands took hold of his head.

He didn't know when the tears of agony began but soon his blood mixed with it. His eyes were bleeding and King's Dragon continued, the wave growing to encompass the entirety of the school.

"STOP!" He at last screamed and King's Dragon froze before the energy quickly returned. He was sobbing by that point, his body consumed by his terror, and he collapsed to the rooftop.

"Gremory-san, what did you want from me again?" Issei yawned where he stood in the doorway. "I just remembered about that talk a week ago with…" Issei's hand met his face with a sigh. "I can't remember the guy's name for whatever reason."

"That's fine and Rias is a fine." The red haired girl sat down in the chair. "You can come in, we don't bite no matter what the rumors say about myself and my club."

"I have to still meet those two before class so this can't take long." Issei dropped back onto a couch across from the voluptuous girl, his eyes focused on her face.

"I won't keep you long." The girl picked up a cup of tea placed on the table in front of her. "Yuuto-kun told me about the power you have."

"King's Dragon?" The red armored figure appeared without a moment wasted. Green eyes looked over Rias with armored arms crossed over an armored chest. "So, how long have you known about my powers?"

"I see no reason to lie about this, not myself or any member of my club knew about your power until after you'd dealt with that Fallen Angel." Rias set the cup down. "I will be honest with you Issei, I need the help of someone like you. I'm in a terrible situation that I've been trying to get out of for over a year but I just can't find a way."

"I don't see how I can help." Issei let King's Dragon vanish from sight. "I'm no good in a fight despite what you may think. King's Dragon handles all the heavy lifting."

"You have a Sacred Gear Issei. I'm sure of it and how powerful you can be with it."

"Sacred Gear?" Issei rose a brown eyebrow as he stretched his arms out at his side. "I've never heard of a thing like that."

"I'm not surprised you haven't. You have a limited knowledge of the supernatural world, don't you Issei?" Rias looked at him with eyes that didn't fit a face so young. "You didn't know that girl was a Fallen Angel, you didn't know Yuuto-kun and I aren't truly humans, and you didn't know more of us were in this school until recently." Rias hit the nail on the head. Issei wouldn't admit it but in the near week he had avoided this meeting he had found out more and more about the school. "There's nothing to be ashamed about, not many humans will ever learn about the supernatural world."

"Are you volunteering to tell me about it then?" Issei leaned his head back but not far, still meeting Rias's eyes. "I would be grateful if you did."

"I had full intentions of telling you everything I could Issei." Rias smiled at him. He didn't smile back. She cleared her throat and it did wonderful things for her chest. Issei didn't look down. "I'll be short and keep this brief, the supernatural world is divided into three main fractions. There are the Fallen Angels, the girl who tried to attack you belonged to them, the true Angels that remain in heaven, and Devils." At the last word, a pair of bat like wings emerged from behind Rias's back. She leaned forward and put them on display for Issei as they spread further out from her back. "I, and my club, are Devils."

"I still don't see why you need me for whatever it is." Issei yawned once more, King's Dragon appearing as he leaned his head back and covered his mouth with one hand while the other stretched out at his side. "I'm just a normal human."

"You are far from some normal human Issei." Rias pointed to his arm. "I can feel the Sacred Gear in your body and its power is focused on your arm."

"Sacred Gear?" Issei repeated his question from earlier and Rias' eyes widened, redness coming to her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Issei, I should have started with that." She regained her composure rather quickly, she cleared her throat once more and Issei timed his blink rather well to avoid seeing its effects. "A Sacred Gear is part of the system God created for humans."

"God?" He couldn't control himself in that moment. There was even a spike of surprise from King's Dragon as it appeared without prompt. "God's real?"

"Yes, who else do you think leads the Angels and cast the Fallen out from heaven?" Rias answered without a single change in her expression. Issei only stared at her for a moment before it was his turn to clear his throat. He leaned back on the couch and King's Dragon vanished. "May I continue or do you need a minute?"

"I'm fine." He was amazed he didn't stutter. "Keep going, you were talking about Sacred Gears."

"I remember but thank you." Rias smiled at him and Issei felt his heart quicken. "Sacred Gears were given to normal humans by God to prevent the Devils or the Fallen Angels from exterminating the human race. The system chose those humans who stood above the others and created champions to fight against supernatural forces. Many myths you know are true, their focuses are usually Sacred Gear users that went on such journeys. There are an unknown number of Sacred Gears, most are believed to be recorded but no one is quite sure. Leading experts agree that some Sacred Gears can exit the system before spontaneously reappearing with perhaps centuries between appearances. When a human with a Sacred Gear dies, their Sacred Gear either enters the system once more and passes onto a new user or vanishes."

"That's a lot of information to take in Rias." Issei yawned once more. "I'm getting tired just thinking about it all."

"I'm not even halfway done Issei." Rias picked up her tea. "I just need to drink for a moment."

'King's Dragon isn't a Sacred Gear.' He didn't even consider the idea of it. He knew how King's Dragon had come into existence and preferred not to dwell on the memory. There was a reason he avoided mirrors in the morning after all. He liked having his shirt on at least before catching a glimpse of his reflection. 'Maybe it was created by one?' Issei glanced towards his extended arms. 'She said she feels a Sacred Gear in my arm so it's not impossible King's Dragon is connected.'

What had never healed began to throb. He ignored it, ignored the dim echoes of the pain unlike anything he had ever felt. He ignored the echoes of screams, ignored it all like he did every day.

"Sacred Gears are divided into different categories but those don't matter as they are basics such as long range, combat, support, think of any fantasy game and you can understand the classes better." Issei nodded along as he snapped out of his thoughts. "What I want to discuss with you now is the class I believe your Sacred Gear to belong to, the Longinus."

"Longinus?" Issei spoke the word as if tasting it. It felt right for some reason. The power he wielded seemed to fit the name even if he didn't understand precisely what it meant. "Is there something special about Sacred Gears like that?"

"Yes." Rias set her tea down. "Any of the Sacred Gears that belongs to this group possesses the power to kill Gods. I believe you have one in you, the Boosted Gear."

"Really?" He took it remarkably well. "Don't you think that's a bit of an extreme thing to say Rias? A guy like me having the power to kill a God?"

"I can help you awaken it if you want." Rias seemed content to ignore his question of disbelief. She rose from her seat an extended a hand. "Consider it a free favor from a Devil. Usually I would charge you but I'm sure you'll repay me later Issei."

"I'll pass." Issei rose a second later, leaving his arms at his side. "Classes are going to start soon and I need to make sure those two get to them on time."

"Really?" Rias' face fell at his refusal of her offer. She looked at him in a way that made Issei's breath hitch. "Are you sure you don't want to Issei-kun?" The way she spoke his name made him want to agree.

"I'm sure." A cool head prevailed on the end as he turned away from her and raised a hand in goodbye. "I'm glad we had the chance to talk about all this but I'm fine as I am. I can live without knowing what this Sacred Gear really is with what I've already got."

"I hope you reconsider Issei-kun." She nearly made him stop with the way she spoke to him. He wanted to turn around and agree but he forced himself to keep heading towards the door.

"If I do, I'll be sure to tell you." Issei opened the door and closed it behind him.

The moment he was out the old school building, he collapsed against the side of it.

'Dammit.' He clutched at his chest, trying to calm his frantically beating heart. 'I don't think I can meet with her again and keep myself under control.'

In the end, his choice was made a few days later.

"I'll meet up with you two later." Days had passed since his meeting with Rias and he rose his hand in farewell to Matsuda and Motohama, the two hardly acknowledging him with their perverted giggling. They were on their way to buy a new adult visual novel off of some old pervert. Issei had declined their invitation in favor of heading home early.

The two had rounded the corner when he felt someone grab his hand.

"What the-Koneko?" He looked down at the middle schooler, her eyes looking up at him and for once she didn't have a sweet in hand. "What do you need?" He crouched down to be more level with the silent girl and his kouhai.

"Buchou is in trouble." She pulled on his arm with strength he didn't know she had. He nearly fell if he didn't rise and get his feet under him. "Help."

"Rias? What am I supposed to do to help her?" She wasn't letting go so he could only ask as she pulled him back onto the grounds of the school, heading towards the old school building. "Aren't you all Devils anyway? I'm just a normal human."

'With King's Dragon.' He didn't need to hear her say it. The way she looked at him told him such. He fell silent.

"I guess I don't have a choice." King's Dragon appeared behind him, he felt Koneko tense and her grip tighten, before he spoke up. "King's Dragon can get us there faster."

It did, it took to the air and took only moments to reach what would have taken several minutes walking. He let Koneko lead the way until they came to the door of the clubroom and found it already open.

"Who's this?" A blonde turned to face him. Koneko released his hand and pointed to him.

"Buchou's boyfriend."

"What?"

'What?'

The blonde and he shared their reaction, even if Issei's was silent and his was very vocal. Rage filled his words and he glared at Issei for a moment before turning to a woman next to him. Issei took note in that moment that many women were around him.

'Is this what I think it is? The women…they all fall under an unmistakable type. That man…does he have a harem?' He couldn't help but think so. Despite the situation, despite the anger that filled his face, Issei couldn't help but feel the beginnings of respect, of awe of the man in front of him.

He had achieved a dream that had long eluded the brown haired teen.

"Kill him!" The man's roared words of rage made him focus.

"WOAH! This is a misunderstanding!" The teen backpedaled just as two swords, a normal one and one he swore came from a video game just by the sheer size of it, were swung at his head and they both thankfully missed their target. "I'm nothing to her! Trust me!" He looked to Rias with desperation. "Tell the truth Rias!"

"He's lying." Rias blushed. Issei saw remorse in her eyes for only a moment before it was replaced with false embarrassment. "He's always been so modest about our relationship." A blush appeared. "We've done so many things together but he never wants to tell other people the truth."

"What are you doing?" Issei's back hit the wall and the two women swung at him with their swords. King's Dragon appeared in a burst of red and green and threw its twin armored fists forward.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" A furious barrage shattered not only the blades but the armor of one. Both were thrown back and towards a separate pair of girls that rushed to catch them before they hit the wall. Each pair failed thanks to the force behind King's Dragon blows. Both groups of three struck the ground hard and tumbled across the ground in a tangle of limbs and groans.

"She's just ma-" He couldn't say anything before he had to duck under a wooden staff. King's Dragon fist exploded forward and shattered it in half before one end was used to strike the owner of the former staff in the stomach.

"You will pay! Rias is for Riser-sama!" A woman wearing half a mask, one of several women now charging him, shouted as she attacked him with a barrage of blows he knew to avoid.

"ECHI!" King's Dragon planted its fist into her stomach and powered her back and through the doorway. Issei glanced to the armored figure that protected him and he pushed off the wall.

"Take them down." He slid one hand into his pocket and the other pointed forward as he shifted his body so his side was presented to anyone viewing from the room. He tilted his head down slightly and drew his feet back so his heels were together.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" King's Dragon became a blur as it charged forward and began to attack at last. The women, those still standing and part of the attacking force, slammed into various walls with punishing force. Each of them had been the victim of countless blows from his armored protector's fists and wouldn't be rising for a while.

"Impressive." The blond sneered at him as he stepped forward. The room began to heat up. "I'll deal with you myself then."

"No." Issei shook his head, a slow movement from side to side. "I'm not fighting anymore over a lie." King's Dragon vanished from sight as Issei's extended hand shifted to Rias. "She's lying about our relationship like I said earlier. She wants me to fight you for whatever reason but I refuse."

"Why can't you simply play along with it all, Issei-kun?" Rias pouted, folding her arms under her chest. "Can you honestly say you wouldn't want to be my boyfriend?" Her eyes turned almost smoldering, her lips curved into something that suggested lewd things. "Perhaps even something more later on?"

"Yes." His answer surprised everyone in the room. He let his arm fall to his side and faced the doorway. "I'm not some kind of lecherous pervert that's going to do whatever you say just because of the size of your chest Rias. I'm a teenager so I'm not innocent but I'm not some loser like that no matter what you think." He began taking steps forward. "No matter how beautiful you are, I would never date you after this."

He came to a stop a few steps from the doorway. He kept his distance from the blonde and the two women, one much younger than the other, and looked directly across at Rias.

"You're nothing but a cruel Devil in the end, hoping to abuse me, abuse whatever power you think I have, and do whatever it takes to reach whatever end you have in mind. I could never love someone with such a dark heart, with such a tainted soul, and with such a twisted mind. No matter what you try to say to me, I won't hear it because I know the truth now and forever more." His free hand slid into his pocket and he looked to Rias with something approaching pity but not quite. "I almost feel sad for you but that's the thing. Almost." He spun on his heel. "Whatever happens from now on, count me out."

King's Dragon appeared at his back in a burst of red and green and folded armored arms over its armored chest.

"King's Dragon is very dangerous to my enemies. I don't care about the supernatural. I just want to live my life peacefully and accomplish my dream."

His choice was simple: Stay firmly rooted in the normal world.

Too bad he couldn't.

"Hmm?" Issei paused in walking down a street after his short speech to Rias when he spotted a girl, obviously a foreigner, standing off the side with a bag in one hand. She was looking for directions it seemed but the people on the busy street were swift to ignore her in favor of their own business.

'I shouldn't get involved…'

'But I need to help her. She's in trouble and she's obviously a foreigner.'

'I should leave through.'

'But I can't just leave her alone.'

His thoughts made it almost like he had a Devil and an Angel on his shoulders and he refused to appreciate the irony of knowing two entire races of them actually existed now. He sighed in the end and approached the girl. She was lucky his parents had crammed another language into his head when he was younger.

"Need help?" He stopped in front of her, kept one hand in his pocket, rested the other on his thigh, and leaned forward with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, you can understand me?" The way she smiled made him think light was surrounding her in a halo. It was enough to make his heart falter for a moment.

"Sure." He kept his voice even and shrugged his shoulders as he rose back to his full height. The hand he had drawn out of his pocket was extended forward. "I can give you directions at least."

"Oh thank you!" The girl ignored the offered hand and instead threw herself forward, her arms out to her side.

She was unlucky. The sidewalk was cracked and she tripped. Her eyes widened and she cried out as she began falling but Issei was quick. He stepped forward and brought his arms up, catching her underneath her armpits, and helping her regain her balance. Her head was level with his chest for a moment while he made sure she was steady once more. He missed the scarlet blush that took hold of her face.

"Be careful." He released her and drew back. His hands returned to his pockets, his head moved side to side as he glanced down both ends of the street. He saw nothing of interest before he focused on the foreigner in front of him. "Where are you going?"

"Th-The local church!" The palms of her hands were pressed together in front of her chest and the way she looked up at him made him almost drop to a knee. The innocence in those eyes, the shining beacons of light that they were, made it a struggle to not worship the girl. "God is so merciful to answer my pray for help."

"I'm sure he is." Issei didn't know what else to do but look up towards the sky. "You're a nun, right?"

'This is a bit too much of a coincidence.' He looked down in time to catch her nod and didn't miss the flash in her eyes. Something had hurt her, made her remember it when he asked her the obvious question brought on from her clothing. 'A lost nun is ignored by everyone on the street until she meets the one person who cares and knows her language.' It was too coincidental to be pure coincidence. It couldn't be. His new knowledge, that God really did exist after all, gave him a possible answer. 'Maybe God really is up there looking out for this girl.'

"Then let's go." He held out his hand once more. "Watch the crack this time."

The girl blushed while she accepted the hand and stepped over the crack in the sidewalk. He smiled at her before he started off down the streets.

He knew where the church was but the walk was long. He took her suitcase from her and held it in his free hand while he asked her questions. From them, he learned her name was Asia Argento and she was here to become part of the church, transferred from the Vatican itself. He wanted to question why she was in Kuoh of all cities, it wasn't that religious of a city to warrant a girl like her, but he didn't pry. He figured she had her own reasons for being so far from home. It must have been something big for her to come to a place she didn't even know the language of.

"Issei, can I ask you a question?" He had told her his name in return for knowing her own. The two had come to a stop at a street corner, waiting for the light to change to cross with a group of other people.

"Go ahead Asia." The teen was almost surprised at how swiftly they had gotten to a first name basis but he shouldn't be surprised. He felt a type of camaraderie with the girl that he held the hand of. It almost felt like she carried a burden like his.

"I…" She bit at her lip. She couldn't think to ask the question that burned in her mind but she could feel the power in the hand holding hers. "I…Do you have a gift from God too?"

'A Sacred Gear?' Issei was impressed at himself. He didn't freeze or tense up at Asia's question. He offered the young girl a smile.

"I do but I don't know how to use it." He looked down at his hand, felt the power dwelling there, and did not reach for it. "God gave me power but something happened before I could ever get a chance to use it." He looked away from his hand. "It was a very bad thing at first but…I'm sorry Asia but I don't like speaking about it."

"I understand Issei." She shouldn't. She wasn't offering words of comfort, she was speaking words of experience. The pain of his past should not be the pain of hers but it was clearly the case. A weariness he knew very well entered her voice as she spoke, took hold of eyes that had once shined with innocence. A frown marred her beautiful face and Issei squeezed her hand. He had to offer her any comfort he could.

When compared to the girl next to him, what was the pain of a lecherous boy like him?

What had never healed seemed to pulse, ripple as if it was a living creature. It burned at the brief attention he had given it in his thoughts. It whispered the pains of the past to him, spoke to him, and his grip on the suitcase's handle tightened.

"The church isn't too far. Let's get going."

If he knew what awaited him at the church, he would have dragged the nun elsewhere.

'This feeling.' Issei blinked. King's Dragon burst to life behind him. The gems that dotted its form flashed with power incomprehensible to many. A green haze consumed him, bathing his form in light from the armored figure and silhouetting him to any who could see it. 'It's the same as-'

He knew this feeling. It was the same feeling that took hold of the air at the end of his first date.

"Get down!" He pulled Asia close, wrapped his arms around her smaller frame, and used himself as a shield. King's Dragon was guaranteed to protect him but such a defense came at a price he had learned of rather quickly. Any other person was expendable to the armored guardian. Anyone and anything would be sacrificed to keep him safe.

A host of spears made of the same light as the girl he now knew to be a Fallen Angel soared at him from above. King's Dragon threw its arms out to the side before bringing its palms together and drawing them apart, the gems dotting its form flashing with light and green electricity crackled across the armor. An emerald dome engulfed him then. King's Dragon remained upright within, ready to face any threat that could bypass the barrier but it was pointless. The dome was strong, too strong to be used when it was restricted.

It was a great defense, powerful enough for the spears of light to strike and shatter against it. Ripples spread from each point of impact before they all suddenly drew back. The rippled formed into a shining light before a host of replica spears fired forward, following their path in reverse.

'This almost feels unfair.' Issei wouldn't have normally allowed King's Dragon so much free reign to act but now was an exception. If he was by himself, he would only allowed King's Dragon to target each of his attackers with just its fist but this was different.

He was protecting the girl in his arms now. He was protecting innocence. King's Dragon could obliterate the entire church if it wanted to.

"Stop!" He heard the shout but it wasn't from beyond the barrier. He looked to Asia and at last felt her struggles against him, as she tried to pull away from him. "Issei, stop!"

King's Dragon looked to him and he nodded. The armored knight vanished from sight along with the barrier it had created a moment later and Issei rose from where he had thrown himself over Asia. She didn't pull away from him, didn't push him away, and her eyes didn't hold despair, betrayal, or hurt at what he had done.

She looked at him with pity. She wrapped her arms around him and held him.

"That was your pain Issei." He didn't know how she knew. Her soft quiet voice shouldn't have made him return to that day. She shouldn't feel his body begin to tremble but she did. Her hair was getting wet despite how much he wished he could stop.

"How touching." A blow to the back came.

King's Dragon burst to life with an uppercut. Its victim screamed while they were rocketed back through the air before striking the church with force that made the building tremble. From the pitch, he figured it was a woman King's Dragon had struck.

"Issei." Asia buried her face in his chest. "I…I know how it feels."

He felt something like King's Dragon in that moment. It was similar yet different and it was coming from the girl with her arms wrapped around him.

"My Sacred Gear is Twilight Healing but…" His eyes focused on the winged maiden that stood behind her. "My Stand is Star Twilight." As if activated by name, the maiden, fair skinned with eyes that held the stars within an endless black expanse, looked to him with pity. A number of star clasps kept her form concealed beneath a cloak as dark as the night sky and each flashed with a gentle light.

King's Dragon appeared at once. Two pairs of ethereal eyes looked into the other. It bowed its head. The maiden that fit the girl so well gave a sad smile. It did not bring joy to see it on her beautiful face but instead brought forth agony to one's heart to know such a maiden had experienced such pain to bring about such a thing. Wings that should have borne pure white feathers were dark like ash, showing the taint the world had forced on such a gentle soul.

"I know what it's like to feel your pain so don't hide it from me." Asia looked up at him, Star Twilight's sad smile remained. "Don't let your pain build anymore."

His tears should have stopped ages ago but he couldn't anymore. He couldn't stop himself, couldn't stop his dirty arms from wrapping around her, couldn't stop the sobs that wracked his body, or the pain that pulsed from his arm.

He was right. He had found a girl that knew his burden.

A Stand was a terrible thing.

He didn't care when King's Dragon stood on the ground at his back, didn't care that he could feel the barely contained energy within the armored being, didn't truly feel anything but an almost relief.

"Asia, please, don't leave me."

"I…I won't. I promise."

He didn't hear her hesitance. He didn't know the same girl that King's Dragon had left brutalized not so long ago was looking at her with hate, pure loathing. He wouldn't care even if he did see such. King's Dragon could destroy her if he ordered it. She couldn't take her away from him.

He would protect the innocence of the girl in his arm. She deserved to live a life free of pain, free of the misery he now knew she had known, live free of the pain they had forced on them.

"What do you want with Asia?" It had taken some time to recollect himself, to regain control of King's Dragon, and to even walk into the church. The creatures he now knew to be Fallen Angels stood before him, a force of robed men with them. He hardly batted an eye at them. King's Dragon stood behind him where he sat on a pew. Asia sat demurely at his side.

"It's none of your business human." Rayanare was the name of the Fallen Angel that had tried to kill him. The one he had left beaten in the park. A glance at the almost ludicrous amount of her exposed skin showed she hadn't fully recovered from her encounter with King's Dragon.

"Rayanare." The only male of the group of Fallen Angels was named Dohnaseek. He seemed to want to be the voice of reason with the harsh tone he took with her. "Enough. Be thankful he left you alive when he could have killed you, killed us the moment he arrived." His eyes traveled to King's Dragon armored form. A glint entered his eyes. "He is stronger than any of us without even using his Sacred Gear. He'll be unstoppable if your attack helps him awaken it."

"This Sacred Gear stuff again?" Issei rolled his eyes, his head falling back on the pew. "I feel God is punishing me with all the people who keep telling me about it…I already have King's Dragon so why do I need to have whatever Longinus Gremory said I have?" He moved his arm, his eyes turned to the ceiling made him miss the looks sent his way.

"The Boosted Gear?" A whisper cut through the Exorcists gathered. Suddenly they saw the boy in a new light. They saw him as someone to fear, to run from, to never approach if they valued their lives. The crimson knight behind him was no longer more terrifying than the boy. It was as if one compared an ant crawling across the ground to a deadly hawk searching for prey among the clouds.

"I don't care about any of this stuff, just like I told her earlier." His head moved as he let it drop forward, he looked to the Fallen Angels again. "I could care less about what any of you want to do as long as it stays away from me. King's Dragon is more than enough to deal with anything."

"So you rejected the offer of a Devil, Rias Gremory at that?" Dohnaseek stepped forward, mindful of the way King's Dragon eyes watched him. A plan came to his mind, a plan that could boost their standing within the Grigori if it succeeded.

"Yep." Issei rose his hand off the pew he stretched it out on, waved his arm through the air. "She tried to get some guy to attack me over some misunderstanding and I told her to leave me alone."

'Riser Phenex.' Rias Gremory's martial situation was well known. She complained enough and the man she was to marry boasted enough for most of the supernatural world to know about it. 'He beat him?' His eyes glanced to King's Dragon and he wasn't surprised the armored figure could accomplish such a feat. 'Yes, I can see it. That creature's power outstrips all of ours together. It would have no problems defeating an enemy, even one as powerful as a Phenex.'

He remembered the energy the boy's summon had used when it created the barrier, how it had effortlessly responded to their attacks, struck down Kalawarner when she attempted to strike him from behind, and how beaten Rayanare had been when they discovered her in the park. He remembered the power he had sensed that night, still filling the air despite the rest of the Fallen Angels arriving hours after the creature known as King's Dragon had made use of it. The power the boy held was enough to perhaps compete with Azazel-sama's own. They stood no chance against such might.

"His name was Riser Phenex and Gremory is to be his wife." Dohnaseek received a raised eyebrow from Issei. The boy wanted to know why he told him such information. "Gremory was most likely trying to use you to escape her marriage, she no doubt wanted you included into her Peerage to battle him for her. She no doubt waited for Rayanare to fatally wound you and for you to summon her in desperation, use it to her advantage and gain your power as her slave."

"Really?" His face didn't change. His eyes flashed with hate but it was gone in the blink of an eye. "Are you sure about that…Dohnaseek-san."

"I'm positive. You no doubt met the club she keeps in the school, they are all reincarnated Devils she has tricked into her service one way or another. It is a common tactic by Devils such as her, gain powerful servants to battle for her, to die for her. She would of course lie to you, say you would be like family if you were to join but that isn't true. She would be your master and you would be her slave or face only death even with your power. If you were to disobey her, flee, you would be declared a Stray Devil and be hunted." Dohnaseek stopped his urge to smile when the hate returned. "She no doubt intended for Riser Phenex to kill you today and then reincarnate you to do her bidding."

"Hmmm…that makes a lot of sense." Issei moved his hand to his chin. "So, she's going to try again?"

"She'll try until she can gain your power or, even if she stops, more Devils will come for you when they hear of your power, of the Longinus you hold. You can defeat them of course, defeat them without your Sacred Gear even, but Devils are cruel creatures. They will come after those you call friends and your family sooner rather than later. They will wager their lives for your servitude, force you to become nothing more than a slave and give them your power or let those you care about suffer." The hate returned. Issei blinked and it was still there.

Dohnaseek knew he had struck a chord when his free hand twitched. His fingers were like claws, dug into the top of the pew. The wood began to crack.

The boy cared for others more than himself. It was clear from the way he had thrown himself over the girl, protected her with his body from any attack.

"The only way to stop it would be if you ally with another fraction, be protected with the consequence of a possible second Great War if the Devils were to attack you, force you into their Peerages." He, in a very figurative way, showed Issei his entire hand with those words. Both knew what he was offering, what he was asking for from Issei.

He held out his hand. The offer was there.

Calculation entered his eyes just like he expected. Those eyes glanced to Asia, looked past any distance to Matsuda, Motohama, his mother, his father, and resolution entered them.

"I guess this is better than making a deal with the Devils." Issei rose from his seat with that said. He took the offered hand. His grip was just as Dohnaseek expected. Strong. "Heaven would probably close its gates to a pervert like me so the Fallen are my only option."

"Azazel-sama will be pleased to hear about this."

Dohnaseek had no idea how pleased the Governor of the Grigori would be.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey." Issei lifted a hand in acknowledgement. He didn't want to believe the scene he had come upon as he came into his room but it was clear as day. This was reality no matter how much he wished, despite the despair it would no doubt bring him later, it was just an illusion.

"Hello Issei-kun." Rias purred his name from where she laid on his bed. It was provocative, inviting, and all but begged for him to join her. "Why don't you join me?"

Issei's brown eyes didn't hold perverted joy in them, he didn't smile, and he didn't take a step further into his room once he closed the door. He made sure he didn't look below her face and see everything she had to offer. He focused only on her face and even just it was a challenge.

Every piece of her was a thing beyond beautiful it seemed.

"I already said I don't want to deal with you anymore." He focused on the shining emerald pools she dared to call eyes, eyes that beckoned him closer without words, by merely looking at him she tried to ensnare him. A will he didn't know he had allowed him to resist. He kept his eyes focused above her neck, focused on her face and moved above her eyes to her forehead.

'If I look anywhere else my libido will win this for you no matter what I do.'

"You didn't mean that Issei-kun." Rias shifted, it did wonderful things for her chest. Issei forced his nails into the palms of his hands, forced himself to focus on the pain, keep his eyes focused where they needed to stay if he wanted to win this. "Even if you did." She moved again, rose up on the bed on her knees. "I'm sure I can convince you to reconsider."

'You could if I looked down.' Issei followed only her forehead as she moved. He knew she was doing wonderful things with her chest at the moment, the smile she wore now would draw in anyone, man or woman, and her eyes would make sure they never left. Those shining emerald gems that dared to call themselves eyes would be sure to keep anyone hypnotized, enraptured, and forever trapped by them.

"I did." Issei was amazed his voice could stay even. He was amazed he hadn't leapt onto the bed the moment he entered the room to find Rias the way she was. "I told you to count me out of whatever you were doing. I don't want to do anything with you after the stunt you pulled at school."

"What about me?" He didn't expect Rias to have such a great plan.

He should have remembered Kuoh Academy had named her one of the Two Great Onee-sama. He should have remembered the second was her friend, had been in the club when Koneko had dragged him there. He should have remembered both had divine gifts on their chest.

Akeno Himejima pressed her chest into his back, her hands came together on his chest, and she pulled him back further into what many would refer to as a piece of heaven.

"I-I-" He tried to fight down the nosebleed, tried to fight down his desire, and tried to make logic prevail but it was hopeless. His brain was being fried the longer she pressed into his back, the way her hands began to move to his shirt made it worse.

A trickle of blood ran down his nose. He at least managed to stop a perverted grin from covering his face.

"Bring him over here Akeno." Her words flowed like honey, a single finger beckoned him over. He tried to stop his feet, tell his body to listen to reason, but he failed. Akeno didn't need to do much to get him to start forward, her fingers becoming more daring now. She knew he was putty for the two of them to play with all night.

The smile on Rias's face was clear to him when he lost control of his eyes. His body was mutinying against him, didn't resist when Akeno's hands ran down to unbutton his shirt, and certainly didn't resist when one hand reached out to pull him onto the bed.

'I'm still just a man.' His face was introduced into heaven, her arms wrapped around his head and she dropped back on the bed.

He just realized it was too big, too soft, to be his own. She had replaced it.

'Dear God.' His eyes widened despite the darkness they opened too. 'I never stood a chance.'

He felt the wind strike his back once Akeno took away his shirt, tossed it somewhere behind him, and leaned forward. He felt her skin on his bare back, felt her hands travel down to his waist.

"You're overdressed Issei-kun." Her voice delighted him, made him not want to resist even more.

It was incredibly lucky actually that Rias's parents thought their daughter might take such extreme action to escape her marriage.

"ECHI!" King's Dragon suddenly appeared, one of its fist sent a Devil dressed as a maid hurtling back through the air with a vicious blow, before it vanished from sight.

It helped snap Issei back to himself. He began to struggle against the arms wrapped around him, pull his face free from Rias's chest, and try to bat away Akeno's hands. The dark haired girl that was all but laying on his back giggled. He felt a painful shock come from her fingertips.

"ECHI!" King's Dragon was back and drew her off of him. It didn't pulverize her only because the Devil that had appeared was of more concern. It threw her at her instead.

"Rias-sama!" The maid's voice filled the room, made the grip of the Devil go slack. She would have cursed if she had less control over herself but a hint of despair came across her face. She released him, allowed him to pull his head away from her chest and scramble to fix his pants.

King's Dragon stood at the foot of the bed, its eyes focused on the maid who had a bruise on her face. The sight of it made Rias suppress a smile but he caught the barest hints of it before her head fell, her chin dropping onto her chest. She was very good at acting. If he didn't know such a fact, he would say she was properly embarrassed at what she had been caught doing.

"Grayfia-san." She projected the perfect air of disappointment, of despair, and hopelessness. If he didn't already know the lengths she was willing to go he would almost pity her. "Please…I-I can't marry that man. You can leave, say you arrived too late, and I'll take full responsibility but please…Please let me break the contract."

"You were given the option to escape the marriage your parents arranged for you Rias, you will have the chance to prove your strength surpasses his in the Rating Game but you will not void the contract both the Gremory's and Phenex's agreed to by losing your virginity to this human." The Devil, Grayfia, spoke the word 'human' with thinly veiled disgust as she looked to Issei who pressed himself against the headboard of the bed he just realized was shaped like a heart. He had luckily regained control of his mind and matched her glare with disinterest. "Who is he?"

"I-"

"It doesn't matter what my name is." He slid off the silk sheets and King's Dragon moved to stand at his back. He looked from Grayfia to Rias and Akeno, the dark haired girl standing with the Devil as she slid off the bed on the opposite side. She was putting on the air of consoling her but it was an act.

He knew they were planning something else. He hoped he never found out what it was. He also knew hope was pretty useless in this situation. He was going to be dragged into whatever was happening at this point. He was in far too deep to get out.

"You need to leave, take those two with you, and tell them to bring my bed back." Issei rested his hands in his pocket, dutifully ignored his half-dressed state, and matched Grayfia's glare. King's Dragon crossed its arms over its armored chest and the teen sighed. "I told them earlier I didn't want to deal with them and I'm not changing my mind." He looked to Rias. The strange Devil dressed like a maid wasn't a problem with King's Dragon keeping an eye on her. "I told you before I left the school Rias: Your heart is dark, your mind is twisted, and your soul is tainted. I won't be part of whatever you're planning. Fight your own battles and keep me out of them."

King's Dragon was engulfed with power. A green aura like fire pulsed to life before it faded. His statement was made, all of them had felt the power he had made King's Dragon display and, hopefully, all of them took the message with it to heart.

"Now, all three of you, get out of my house."

He could only hope this was the last he saw of the two Devils as the maid took them away with a strange red symbol. It appeared at their feet and the three vanished in a flash of red light. It was harmless judging from the fact King's Dragon did nothing to stop them.

He sighed and wanted to do nothing but collapse onto his bed before he realized it was gone. He looked at the heart shaped Rias had somehow gotten into his room and felt his irritation at everything let him have a moment of catharsis when he had King's Dragon smash it to splinters. He would sweep it all up later but for now the pile was a pleasing sight.

'Mom and dad hopefully won't ask any questions.' He picked up his shirt as he walked out his room and headed downstairs to sleep on the couch. He would go to the guest room but Asia was currently sleeping there and it wouldn't be right to bother her after her day.

He grabbed a blanket, moved the pillows around, and fell down face first.

'I can't believe this is all because of that stupid date.' He drifted off without worry. King's Dragon would deal with anything that tried to attack him, despite how unlikely it was inside his house, while he slept.

"Sorry about this, I was working on homework and didn't have the energy to make it up the stairs." Issei answered his parents questioning look when they found him fixing the couch, a folded blanket thrown over the back of it. He was dressed already, breakfast would come later. "I'm heading upstairs to check on Asia." He ignored the way his father wiggled his eyebrows or the fact his mom began to talk about grandchildren. He successfully managed to fight down the blush she had caused by the time he reached Asia's room.

"Asia?" He knocked on the door. "Breakfast is soon."

The door slid open and a smiling, if bleary eyed, Asia stood in it.

"Thank you Issei." She wasn't dressed yet, probably having just gotten out of bed, so still wore the old pajamas his parents had given her. "I'll be down in a minute."

"Take your time." He turned and walked down the hall to the steps. "My folks are going to grill you the second you c-"

"ECHIECHIECHIECHI!" King's Dragon was suddenly shoving him back from the steps, unleashing a barrage of blows on whatever was coming at him. Issei's back hit the ground but he was already throwing himself back with his legs, scrambling to his feet as King's Dragon's fists continued to pummel whatever had been lying in wait at the bottom of the steps.

"Issei!" Asia rushed out, the maiden he had seen yesterday appearing at her back. The endless expanse of stars that made up her eyes seemed to shine brighter, shine as if they were as close as the sun and more than a dozen times as large. "What's happening?"

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" King's Dragon finished off whatever it was fighting with a powerful blow that sent it crashing through the steps. It immediately moved back to Issei but kept its fists up and at the ready, Issei feeling his Stand's anxiousness at whatever had happened.

"I don't know." He pushed himself up, got back on his feet with King's Dragon scanning the upper floor of the house with its eyes. "It m-"

"They will come after those you call friends and your family sooner rather than later." Dohnaseek's words ripped through his mind like King's Dragon's fists had just ripped through the air.

"Mom! Dad!" He didn't think when he threw himself into a dead sprint, rushing down the steps so fast he had to throw his hands down to stop himself from hitting the floor face first. King's Dragon followed after him of course.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" It turned and pummeled whatever had ripped free of the steps before snatching hold of it, spinning, and throwing it like fastball from the house through the open door.

"Issei! Get back!" His father's voice called out to him but Issei didn't hear. He only saw the bastards holding his parents.

"What do you think you're doing?" King's Dragon growled, a pale imitation for Issei's roar when he spoke. "Get out of my house! Leave me alone before I have King's Dragon cripple your asses!" He couldn't control himself, couldn't get a hold of the anger that was surging through him at the sight in front of him.

He wanted to honestly let King's Dragon kill for once, rip them apart with its armored hands, leave nothing, not even ash, by the time it was finished.

Issei Hyoudou couldn't care less about his own safety but he loved his family, cared for his friends. He was willing to destroy anyone for them.

The Devils in front of him deserved nothing but death for touching his parents.

"Issei Hyuoudou, you have been summoned to the Underworld." He didn't recognize any of them but he could tell a Devil now by their power, by the wings the four so proudly showed off. "If you resist, these two humans will be killed."

"Issei!" Asia was at the top of the staircase, could see what was happening. Issei wanted to unleash King's Dragon, let his Stand tear them apart like he knew they could, but he restrained himself.

'Asia, mom, dad, Motohama, Matsuda, I can't keep an eye on all of them. I can't keep them all safe every second of every day.' He swallowed. His fists were so tight at his side he could feel the warm blood as it trailed down to his knuckles before falling to the ground. 'I have to keep them safe.'

"Take me where ever you want." King's Dragon vanished with a force of will. "But if you hurt my family anymore, if you even think about going after my friends, I'm going to tear you apart. Slowly."

"Lucifer-sama's orders were clear." They released his family. That was all he cared about. He forced himself to take deep breaths, strained to keep his hands at his side, and forced himself to calm down. It was for his family, for his friends, for Asia.

Issei's last glance of his family was of his father's rage, his mother screaming at the devils. He was fine as long as they weren't hurt. He was gone with a flash of crimson light, the same strange symbol that had carried away three Devils last night took him into the unknown.

"Issei Hyoudou." A red haired man spoke his name, looked at him with eyes he couldn't read, and then he turned to Rias. "This is the boy?"

"Yes." She shook her head, her eyes were focused on the ground, her hands clasped in front of her. "He is the one."

"My name is Sirzechs Lucifer, formerly Gremory, and you have a lot to answer for Issei Hyoudou." Sirzechs Lucifer, formerly Gremory, looked at the teen with hate.

"I can't believe this." The moment Issei spotted Rias in the room, he had pieced together why he was here and he bit down on his rage, his growing and growing rage. "You attacked my family because of her, didn't you? She told you whatever new bit of nonsense she thought up and had you drag me here? What is it this time then? Want to say you'll kill my family if I don't join you, that I'll be tortured until I do, that I'll burn in hell until I reconsider?" He felt like pulling his hair out, punching something, do something to show how much rage he was feeling. "What is it already?"

"No, you're wrong about why you're here." The Devil stepped forward and Issei noted he was dressed in armor. He brought his armored hands together and the hate in his eyes burned fiercer. "I needed her here to know for sure you were the one who punched my wife in the face last night."

"The maid…" Issei's rage abated as last night came to him with startling clarity. He remembered the Devil that had appeared, that King's Dragon had thrown back with a single blow. "She's your wife and King's Dragon punched her in the face. You saw the bruise and know you're filled with the anger any husband would have. You sent those Devils to my house to bring me here so you can act as your pride is commanding you to." The teen only sighed as he brought his hand up to his face. "Do whatever you want then, it won't work."

Sirzechs was silent, he let his fists do the talking for him and swung for Issei's face.

"ECHI!" King's Dragon's fist clashed with his own. Sirzechs's eyes widened for a moment before he drew back and his next blow produced the same result. "ECHI!" King's Dragon stopped it effortlessly and Issei did nothing.

"King's Dragon is the ultimate defense no matter how much I limit him." Issei kept one hand on his face, the other slid into his pocket. "Throw all the punches you want, try any magic, and do whatever else you Devils can do but there's nothing that can hurt me with King's Dragon here." Issei's nails pressed into his forehead, left marks but didn't draw blood. "Night or day, awake or sleeping, it doesn't matter. King's Dragon is always there watching me, protecting me."

"No." Sirzechs's rage allowed him to throw a fury of blows, he barely withheld himself from casting spells powerful enough to destroy mountains with his fists, and his hate fueled him. King's Dragon met each of his blows, things powerful enough to topple buildings, with what had to be ease. Each of his strikes was stopped with a strike in reply from the armored figure. "You're going to pay for what you did to Grayfia."

"I should pay but I won't." Issei looked at Sirzechs's enraged face. "You Devils can't hurt me no matter what you try." King's Dragon surged forward suddenly, Sirzechs formed a barrier but it was already cracking against the barrage of armored fists. "You Devils shouldn't have tried to hurt my family." Cracks were spreading despite the power of Sirzechs, despite his immense power King's Dragon couldn't be stopped. "I don't care who you think you are but no one hurts my family."

King's Dragon ripped through the barrier in the end. Its fists began to clobber Sirzechs as Issei dropped his hand from his face to his pocket.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" King's Dragon wouldn't be stopping anytime soon as each blow forced Sirzechs further and further back. He eventually hit a wall of the spacious room the human found himself brought to by the Devils. None of his barriers lasted as Issei stepped in time with King's Dragon's movements forward. "ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!"

A crater was growing on the wall with each successive impact of King's Dragon's fists on the body of Sirzechs Lucifer.

"I couldn't care less about what happens to me, a hopeless pervert, but I refuse to let you get away with threatening my family, my friends." Issei stepped closer as King's Dragon's barrage only grew in speed, the power of each blow growing at the same rate. The Stand did not tire like it should but instead each blow seemed to grow in strength the longer it continued its attack. Each blow came harder and faster than the last. "I don't care so I always keep a leash on King's Dragon."

The Stand stopped, one hand was pressed into the cracked remains of Sirzechs's once pristine armor and the other was drawn back.

"But I care about my parents." Green energy took hold of the opposite armored hand, grew brighter and brighter as each finger was individually drawn back into a clenched fist. "You threatened them today." King's Dragon pulled away and vanished from sight. "This is my threatening you."

He turned away from Sirzechs and to the Devils that had brought him to wherever he was.

"I don't care how you do it but you're going to take me home." Issei wasn't concerned with Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the strongest supernatural beings.

King's Dragon was an absolute defense whether he liked it or not. He didn't need to worry about any attack.

"ECHI!" The Satan tried to hit him with an energy attack. King's Dragon saw the size of the attack and used a single hand to stop it, to crush it in its hands to show its power.

Issei's eyes actually widened when his palm began to burn, to blister, before King's Dragon roared and a green pulse of raw power pushed the sphere of energy away. He refused to draw his hand out of his pocket as the other rose as he turned.

"Consider that my warning." Sirzechs's armor may have been entirely destroyed but he was unharmed. There wasn't a single mark on his flesh, none of his blood laid cooling on the ground, and not even the smallest of bruises or marks of any kind dotted his skin. He lowered his smoking finger to the ground and Issei took note of the marble sized hole in the ceiling. He glanced to King's Dragon smoking hand and saw a mark of similar size on the normally unblemished armor. "I don't care who you think you are Issei Hyoudou, never touch my wife again." The power literally at his fingertip screamed danger, screamed of annihilation. "If you do, I won't hold back and I'll destroy you."

"I don't intend to ever see a Devil again." Issei let his hand fall to his side and King's Dragon vanished from sight. "I don't want to deal with you Devils if I can help it." He fought down the desire to draw his hand out, look at the damage done to it by Sirzechs's last attack. He had dealt with far worse pain, pain that had never fully left him. He could deal with the blisters, the burn. "I just want to be left alone." Issei didn't look away from Sirzechs's eyes. The hate was gone but it was replaced with the same warning his eyes held, the same hardly suppressed rage. They were similar like that he guessed. He felt that if King's Dragon had punched the man in front of him, he wouldn't care. It was his family he cared about more than anything, just like Issei did. "That's why I aligned myself with the Fallen Angels."

"What?" Rias at last spoke, the first time since he had arrived. Her eyes were wide, actual shock filled them, took hold of her face. "What do you mean you aligned with the Fallen?"

"It means exactly what I said." Issei turned away from Sirzechs and to her, nothing in his eyes. He couldn't even bother with hating the girl. "After I left, I went to the old church and talked to the Fallen Angels there. Even if one tried to kill me, I could at least stand talking to them. I want my family, my friends, safe from whatever you'll try to do next." He used his free hand to point to himself. "You can come at me all you want. Try all your tricks, try to goad me, even attack me if you want because I don't care. I have King's Dragon. The people close to me, they're off limits. If you try to hurt them, I'll just kill you the next time I see you."

"That's my little sister you're talking too." Sirzechs was exactly like him. His hand rose, a sphere of the same power as before took shape in his palm. "Don't you dare speak to her like that."

"I feel there's no winning here." Issei sighed. He looked from Sirzechs to Rias and then back to Sirzechs. "She won't leave me alone until whatever that guy wanted to kill me over yesterday is over with." He looked to Sirzechs, looked past the power swirling above his palm. "You hate me because King's Dragon punched your wife last night because your sister was trying to get me to sleep with her. I can't deal with her because than you'll try to kill me and I won't be her slave so she'll keep trying to get me to join her." His eyes looked with Sirzechs. He bowed his head. "Let this be my apology for punching your wife. I won't be her slave but I'll help your sister with this Riser guy."

"You will?" Rias started forward but Sirzechs did nothing. He looked at Issei, looked into his soul, and closed his hand around the power that gathered there. He didn't want to give up yet, their wills had clashed and he didn't know whose was stronger. It hurt his pride to know he couldn't hurt the boy the same way he had hurt Grayfia but he also understood how much his sister wanted to be free from her marriage to Riser. He wanted to refuse but…"Onii-sama, please!"

He saw the desperation in her eyes no matter how much she tried to hide it. He wanted his sister happy more than anything else. He had wanted to tear Riser's head off for years now, ever since the Devil had started turning his Peerage into his own personal harem. He didn't mistreat any of the women, they were all there of their own free will, but he still wanted to punch him in the face. As an older brother he wanted to beat Riser bloody after he saw him flaunt his harem when he first met Rias. But he was a Satan and his hands were tied, he couldn't involve himself with an affair between two of the few remaining families of the Seventy-Two Pillars without jeopardizing his position as Lucifer.

'An older brother must protect their younger siblings.' Sirzechs controlled himself, let his hand fall. 'I'll do it for Rias.'

"Then I will say this, with everyone here acting as witnesses." Sirzechs looked into Issei's eyes and extended his hand. "The contract between us is as follows: I, Sirzechs Lucifer, will forgive the attack on my wife if you, Issei Hyoudou, challenge Riser Phenex for the marriage contract between Riser Phenex and Rias Gremory. If you fail to defeat Riser Phenex, you will join Rias Gremory's Peerage without complaint and serve her faithfully. If you succeed and defeat Riser Phenex, I vow to do all I can to insure Devils do not interfere in your life any longer."

Issei didn't let his irritation at the cost he would pay if he failed show. He could understand it at least.

"I, Issei Hyoudou, accept this contract as it has been stated by you, Sirzechs Lucifer." Issei did not allow himself to fear failure as he took the offered hand. Rias barely held back her excitement at the sight, the power that surged around both that bound them to their verbal contract. The mark of the Four Maous appeared on each of their palms.

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Issei Hyoudou made a deal with the supernatural with a handshake.

'I hope I don't regret this.' Issei drew away and glanced down at the crimson mark that shined on his hand. The same mark shined on the palm of Sirzechs Lucifer.

"King's Dragon." He summoned the Stand with its name. The armored hand was extended forward without prompting and he saw the same mark had appeared on its armor. It burned with the same crimson, with the same power, as his and Sirzechs's own marks did.

"The marks bind us to our ends of the contract." Sirzechs lowered his hand. "With your relations with the Fallen, I won't make you leave without it concealed." He turned to a Devil. "Bring me two pairs of gloves." He turned back to Issei as the Devil hurried to do what was ordered. "I'll cloak the powers of both our marks. Until he comes back, we'll talk."

"Tell me about Riser Phenex then." Issei and Sirzechs sat down at a table and chair brought to them from the side. Rias joined Sirzechs on his side and Issei just then noticed the presence of the ORC. He didn't pay them any further attention.

"He possesses the Phenex's regeneration. Very few things can permanently harm him and it makes fighting him troublesome. He's also in possession of Phoenix Tears to heal the members of his Peerage during any Rating Games he takes part in. From the power I've felt from your Stand, the only issue will be Riser himself."

"Issei-kun actually beat every member of his Peerage excluding his Queen and one of his Bishops yesterday." Akeno helpfully supplied the information to Sirzechs and he looked at Issei without disbelief. There was a small level of respect as he looked to the human. The dark haired Devil poured the table's occupants tea before stepping behind Rias.

"I'm sure then that the only problem will be Riser, his regeneration gives him a form of immortality as long as his Demonic Power remains and it is a substantial amount." Sirzechs looked for any trace of emotion in Issei's face and found nothing. He continued. "You will need to prevent him from making use of his regeneration if you want to retire him in the Rating Game you'll be taking part of."

"I thought you just wanted me to challenge him." Issei's mind immediately went to the verbal contract that would not leave his mind or be forgotten. The power that burned on his palm seemed determined to make sure neither party forgot.

"I'll include a special condition for the Rating Game to let you compete. He won't refuse." Sirzechs was not concerned so Issei was not. "You're no doubt curious about what exactly a Rating Game is but the concept is actually rather simple. Devils can challenge each other at any time and the challenge takes the form of a Rating Game. They're a popular contest among us. Two Devils enter an arena created through the use of magic to become an agreed upon terrain, and they battle each other with their respective Peerage until the King of either is defeated."

'Like Pokemon?' Issei did not speak those words out loud. He couldn't help but look to Rias and imagine her directing her Peerage like a certain trainer would.

"Akeno use Thunderbolt!"

"Kiba use Sword Dance!"

"Koneko use Bite!"

"Death is a non-factor as the members of any Peerage will simply be retired if dealt enough damage. They will be removed from the arena. The Rating Game is over with when a Peerage's King either concedes or is retired." Sirzechs looked at Issei with steel in his eyes. "Rias is King of her Peerage and Riser is King of his. The Rating Game will end when one of them surrenders or is forced to retire. You will be responsible for making sure Rias will not be doing either of those."

"I intend to win this." Issei didn't turn away from Sirzechs, his eyes had returned to him even if the image of Rias dressed in a rather form fitting version of a certain trainer's outfit made him want to break into perverted giggles.

"Akeno use Milk Drink on Issei!"

He had a perfect poker face. If he didn't, he had no doubt Sirzechs would try to beat him to death and succeed regardless of King's Dragon.

Sirzechs felt rage build in his heart, a righteous fury he had felt with nearly the same intensity when he had seen Riser ogle Rias. He felt the desire to beat Issei's face in suddenly return tenfold but he refused to act on it. It was illogical for it to so suddenly arrive but he felt as if he, as an older brother, should be rearranging Issei's face with his fist, King's Dragon or no King's Dragon. He didn't let it show.

His poker face was nearly as good as Issei's own.

"How?" Sirzechs looked beyond the hate he inextricably felt for the boy across from him, not at all stemming from the fact that his wife had come home with a bruise from him.

"His Demonic Power isn't infinite just vast, correct?" Issei's questioned received a slow nod from the Maou. "Then there's a limit to what and how much he can recover from. If I do enough damage, force him to heal himself time and time again, he'll eventually run out of Demonic Power. King's Dragon is strong enough to bring him down."

"Issei." Sirzechs's voice was clear. He intended for it and his next few words to do such. "You can't beat Riser just by punching him."

"I-OH." Issei chuckled. "King's Dragon doesn't just punch things. I just make it so that it only punches things." He grinned at Sirzechs. "King's Dragon's main ability is that it manipulates energy. I have it manipulate energy to increase its speed and the power of its punches. Kinetic energy converted into more power upon contact, kinetic energy from my opponent's own blows converted into more power, and similar things. I don't like King's Dragon going all out so I restrict it most of the time."

"Really?" Sirzechs looked to the human with something close to admiration. "What else can your King's Dragon do?"

"What can you do with energy?" Issei answered his question with one in kind before chuckling at the annoyed look on Sirzechs's face. "King's Dragon defense is increased of course with something called the Dragon Shield, a barrier based around converting the power of any of my attackers into power for itself. King's Dragon can make use of energy blasts and such but I use them sparingly, I mainly use the additional energy to augment any strike King's Dragon uses when I feel it's needed. Beyond that, there's the expected barriers, energy constructs, and, when needed, simple explosions originating from King's Dragon."

"That's impressive Issei." Sirzechs looked and King's Dragon appeared a moment later, armored arms crossed over its chest. It looked into Sirzechs's eyes with glowing green lenses and he found what he was searching for within them. "King's Dragon is powerful but Rias has told me about something else in your possession, a Sacred Gear that is one of the thirteen Longinus." His eyes shifted to where Issei's arms rested on the table in front of him. "The Boosted Gear is said to be able to give one the power to kill those who call themselves Gods, perhaps even God himself."

"And you think I know how to use it?" Issei looked to his arm and snorted. "I don't even know what this thing is supposed to look like. How am I supposed to use it to beat Riser?"

"Training." Sirzechs chuckled himself when he saw Issei's confusion. "I don't intend to leave you to your own devices Issei. You'll be taking a leave from school for a while, until the Rating Games in several weeks as I'll be training you, Rias, and her Peerage in order to prepare for the match with Riser Phenex."

"Really?" Rias was the one to show shock, nothing came across Issei's face. It was partly thanks to his ignorance of the significance of such a monumental thing. The Devils across the room all shared the same expression of shock at the Maou's words. "I thought one of the Maou were forbidden from involving themselves in the private affairs of any of the Seventy-Two Pillars."

"I'm not involving myself in a private affair between any of the Seventy-Two Pillars Rias." Sirzechs turned to smile at his little sister. "I'm just training you."

"Onii-sama…" Rias seemed close to tears. Issei didn't see them as she threw her arms around her brother, Sirzechs doing the same with one arm. He smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet Rias." Sirzechs loved his sister so he would push her. She would probably hate him, hate his training, but he wanted her happy beyond anything else. She could hate him for the rest of her life for the training he was going to put her through as long as she didn't have to be unhappy. "This training isn't going to be easy. I'm not going to pull any punches and I'm not going to make anyone let it take it easy on you. It'll be like fighting an enemy despite us being family."

"I-I know." Rias didn't let him go. "I'll gladly take all that pain, all that misery, as long as I can beat Riser and have my life back."

'I feel I shouldn't be here.' Issei felt uncomfortable in his chair suddenly. He looked anywhere but the two siblings, he made the mistake of looking to Akeno and the second half of the Two Great Onee-sama of Kuoh smiled at him. The innocence it held shouldn't exist when she pushed her breasts together. He looked away and to Yuuto Kiba.

The blonde glared at him for whatever reason. If looks could kill, Issei felt as if he would have several rather pointy objects shoved through his head. He blinked and the blonde known as the Prince of Kuoh continued to glare at him with what had to be hate.

'Moving on.' He glanced to Koneko.

He looked at her.

She looked at him.

He looked at her.

She looked at him.

He blinked.

She smiled at her victory. He frowned at his defeat.

'This isn't over.'

I know. She taunted him without words, just by looking at him.

'I'm going to beat you.'

No you won't. He would be sure to prove her wrong.

He stared.

She stared back.

He blinked.

"That makes fifty-seven for me and zero for you Issei." Koneko held out her hand and Issei looked down at the expectant hand and sighed. He handed over the chocolate he had been about to eat, and foolishly betted on the latest staring contest, to Koneko. It was rather counterintuitive since he wanted to eat it but he was certain he had her this time.

He was wrong.

"How do you do it?" Issei cocked an eyebrow and received a blank stare in return. Despite what he tried, he still blinked before she did.

"Practice." Koneko walked away unwrapping the bar of chocolate and Issei sighed where he sat.

"Lost to Koneko again, Issei-kun?" Koneko was replaced with Akeno, the buxom beauty he now knew to be a closet sadist smiled at him. "Are you feeling disappointed? Perhaps you're feeling angry at your fate?" The smile she gave him as she leaned forward made him lean back in his seat. "Do you want to take you anger out on someone by chance? Punish someone?" A blush that was far from innocent spread across her face, colored her cheeks crimson. "If you want to Issei-" Her hands settled on his lap, she drew herself into it next. Her hands moved to his chest, her legs settled on either side of his waist, and her lips moved close to his ear. He could feel her chest pressed to his, her arms closed around his neck. "-you can punish me."

Issei gulped. He shifted and immediately regretted it. Akeno had been waiting to approach him it seemed. He was desperately hoping she was wearing something under her skirt but couldn't be sure.

His inner pervert wanted him to jump at the opportunity. The Devil on his shoulder wanted him to agree. Even the Angel on his shoulder couldn't exactly tell him anything was wrong. As long as Akeno was willing to do it, wanted it even, he would be in the right.

"Issei, Lucifer-sama requests " His savoir made it so that he didn't have to make a decision. Akeno stilled on his lap before she pulled away. He saw her pout at him but he could only shrug his shoulders.

"We're not finished Issei-kun." She leaned forward but he had King's Dragon pull him free from his chair.

"Sorry but I've got to go." He hurried down the halls of the large mountain residence of the Gremory. As he did so, he thought back to how precisely this had happened…


	3. Chapter 3

Two Days After Issei's Trip to the Underworld: Three Weeks Ago-Shortly After Arrival…

"Issei, step here." Sirzechs pointed to the ground next to him. The human was cautious for a moment before he simply walked over without issue. He didn't show his curiosity on his face or his eyes but it was present in his mind at least. "Rias, you and your Peerage are going to attack Issei now."

"Really?" She didn't respond with disbelief. She sounded almost worried. "Are you sure?"

"Issei described King's Dragon as the ultimate defense. You'll be charged with forcing him to move from the ground he's standing on." Sirzechs looked to Issei, it was a look that promised pain. "Don't go easy on them, Riser's family gave Rias Phoenix Tears as an early wedding gift so any damage you do can be healed."

"King's Dragon still won't do much." Issei yawned. "I'm not insulting them but they can't hurt me."

"ECHI!" King's Dragon fist exploded forward and shattered the blade of the sword that had appeared in Yuuto's hand thanks to his Sword Birth. He looked shocked before he narrowly avoided a second blow to the gut that would have certainly put him out of commission.

"See?" Issei pointed to Yuuto even as a new sword appeared in each hand. He charged forward and the same happened. The only difference was that King's Dragon used an armored forearm brought against the flat side of the blade to split them in half. Yuuto threw the hilts away and a large two handed sword appeared in his hands. It blocked the blow that would have most likely knocked him unconscious if it connected. It still shattered but he didn't seem to let it stop him. He attacked with a new sword in each hand.

"Not one at a time." Sirzechs had teleported away when Yuuto had begun his attack. "Riser outnumbers you and will use such a thing to his advantage. Attack him all together and without mercy."

"No mercy." Koneko was suddenly in front of him. Issei didn't let his eyes widen as she threw a punch straight for his face. King's Dragon ignored Yuuto's swings in favor of intercepting the blow with one of its own. The results didn't surprise Issei.

Koneko bit her lip at the pain in her fist before she quickly threw her other forward. The same result happened when King's Dragon other fist intercepted hers with another blow. Yuuto made use of the chance presented, his incredible speed used to close the distance, circle behind Issei, and swing at his back.

"ECHI!" A fist shattered the blade once more and Koneko was thrown back, skipping across the ground like a stone skipped across water. She hit the ground hard by the end of her journey but, rather impressively, stood back up to her feet even if she was still dazed. She narrowed her eyes towards Issei as she tightened her fists.

"ECHI!" An uppercut from King's Dragon threw Yuuto into the air just as Koneko launched herself forward off the ground, the force of it actually cratering the ground. Issei still didn't seem surprised. She met King's Dragon in the midst of her flight.

"You punch pretty fast." Koneko unleashed a barrage of blows while airborne but King's Dragon met her blow for blow. Her feet landed on an armored chest and she kicked off of him. She landed on the ground, low almost like a cat, before she began another attack. "King's Dragon is faster."

Koneko was overwhelmed in seconds. A straight punch threw her back and she wasn't getting up. Yuuto also finally struck the ground a fair distance away from Issei. His eyes turned to the other Devils he was supposed to be fighting.

'This doesn't make sense.' He did nothing beyond put his hands in his pockets. 'Sirzechs knows they can't beat me. They shouldn't be trying so soon. King's Dragon isn't going to put much effort into beating any of them no matter what that Devil thinks.'

Rias looked to Akeno and nodded. Her Queen took to the air and began to chuckle as lightning built up around her like an aura. She turned to her Bishop while her Queen prepared to attack Issei, the human patiently waiting with his hand in his pocket.

"Gasper…please come out of the box." She loved all the members of the Peerage but sometimes things could get ridiculous. Case in point: Her sole Bishop, Gasper Vladi a half human and half Vampire, refused to come out of his cardboard box.

"B-But…" The box shook, Rias sighed but didn't get angry. She had known this would be a challenge and was ready for it.

"You will learn to control your powers Gasper. We're all here to get stronger, together." She laid a hand on the side of the box. "We can't do that if you don't let go of your fear. Your Sacred Gear is powerful, beyond powerful, and you CAN control it."

"You think I can?" The box didn't shake and Rias was glad for it.

"I know you will." She wished he could see her smile.

"O-Okay then." A pale hand slowly emerged underneath the box. "I-I'll come out."

"Have a taste Issei-kun." Akeno smiled as she let loose a truly monstrous bolt of lightning that struck King's Dragon. Thunder boomed, echoed through the valleys, shook the trees, and made the ground tremble.

Issei actually cried out from the attack. King's Dragon blocked it but Issei dropped to the ground, his hands leaving his pockets and holding himself up. His body seized up in time to the crackles of electricity moving across King's Dragon armored form. He clenched his teeth to stop himself from crying out.

"I-I forgot what that felt like." Issei didn't rise up back to his feet. His shoulders shook before the remaining electricity around King's Dragon simply disappeared from sight. "King's Dragon."

A hand was rose and a green beam turned the world emerald. Akeno's power was turned against her in that moment, she hardly managed to avoid the worst of the damage by dropping to the ground. The wild electricity that crackled around the beam struck her and she hit the ground hard but it was without taking a blast she wasn't even sure Lucifer could survive.

"Come on Gasper." Rias looked to her Queen with some worry, she rose herself up on shaking arms. She looked back to the box and saw the pale face within. Terror crossed her Bishop's face but she didn't let him hide away again. She dropped down to her knees and grabbed hold of his shoulders before he could vanish back into the box. "Gasper, look at me."

"R-Rias, b-be c-" She could hear the terror in his voice as he tried to draw away, hide away again.

"No. Keep looking at me." Rias decided to take desperate measures. "Keep looking at me because I trust you."

"Rias…" Stunned awe replaced his fear. Rias smiled at him. She gently pulled and he didn't resist.

"King's Dragon, end this!" Issei was not lying to Lucifer two days ago. King's Dragon was fully capable of barriers that it made liberal use of on its armored forearms, blocking Akeno's lightning strikes with them instead of with its armored form.

"ECHI!" The Stand moved the barriers in front of it and away from its arms, slammed them together, and released a barrage of blows on them as they joined together. Bullets of energy ripped forward that Akeno found she had no hope of dodging, no hope of stopping, and no hope of matching.

They stopped midway to Akeno, locked in place by Gasper's Forbidden Balor View. It was only momentarily, a moment that Issei displayed his shock and Akeno smiled as she drew away. Lightning gathered across her body before she threw both hands forward.

"E-" King's Dragon froze in place. Issei's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the frozen Stand, he tried to urge it to move but felt as if he was completely disconnected from the armored warrior. The lightning Akeno made use of ripped through the depleted barriers in front of it and Issei collapsed to the ground, his body falling to convulsions. He screamed just as King's Dragon seemed to regain control of itself and slammed its palms together.

Emerald lightning fired back at Akeno and it was her turn to scream. She dropped to the ground and groaned. The attack had lasted seconds but lightning still crackled across her figure. Her body trembled and she groaned again.

"Damn…" Issei slowly sat up as King's Dragon vanished from sight. "I've never dealt with lightning before." He looked to the last two Devils and slowly pushed himself up on shaking legs. "I don't feel like playing with kid's gloves anymore. Sorry in advance."

King's Dragon reappeared but Sirzechs appeared between the two remaining Devils and the human across from them. He was smiling despite the state of more than half of his sister's incomplete Peerage, her Queen, Rook, and Knight all defeated by the human across from her.

"That's enough. I have enough benchmarks to go on. I'll have the others collected while the three of you go clean up." Sirzechs had been true to his word, the other three Devils Issei had defeated rather soundly were brought to the mountain mansion.

"Thank you for this Issei, you've shown me the problems each of them have and what we'll be working on for the next near month." Sirzechs looked to each of the Devils, Rias included, before beginning on the first to attack Issei.

"Yuuto Kiba, you are a Knight. Your speed is impressive, enough to beat most others that claim to have the same title. Your Sacred Gear, Sword Birth, allows you to create Demon Swords limited only by your imagination and Demonic Power." Sirzechs looked at the blonde, nursing a bruise from the blow of King's Dragon, and didn't regret what he said next. "You fight too honorably, you should have attacked Issei with swords from the ground and from all other avenues available to you. I've heard of your performances during Stray Devil hunts and know of your skills. You should look to overwhelm your opponent with an attack that cannot be defended against. Issei's defenses were powerful but they showed a flaw. You failed to remain conscious long enough to see it. You will need to increase your speed despite how impressive it already is, increase your Demonic Power, increase the Demon Swords you can create using Sword Birth, and, most importantly, learn to forsake the honor you attacked with."

Kiba did not look happy but he did not say anything to the Satan. He turned his attention to the second Devil to fall to Issei.

"Koneko Toujou, you are a Rook. Your power is not as great as it should be, you are capable but against more skilled Rooks, experienced Knights, or Queens you will fall. Your blows were strong and fast but not enough to compare to the power I know King's Dragon possesses at its weakest, especially when the strength of your blows were turned against you." Koneko looked down at the table, away from the eyes of both Sirzechs and Rias. One pair was cold and the other was filled with pity. "I know you have power beyond what you've shown and I will personally work with you if it comes to it. Your speed must be increased before all other things, your strength, and you will be taught Magic to further aid you in combat. You are not a Bishop but you will learn how to combat them, how to defeat them. Your Demonic Power is plentiful and it will be put to use with spells fitting your skills."

Koneko nodded and said nothing to the words of the Satan. He turned to his attention to the third Devil to fall to Issei.

"Akeno Himejima, you are a Queen. Your power is great but it has come at the cost of your defense and your speed. You possess the traits of the Bishop, Rook, and Knight but you only show yourself to be a proficient Bishop with your lightning spells. Other Queens can outpace the fastest Knights, endure more than the strongest Rooks, and hold more Demonic Power than the strongest of Bishops. You are exemplary only when it comes to the large amount of Demonic Power you possess but that is not all. I will be working with you to draw out the second power I sense in you and…" Sirzechs trailed off as he looked into her eyes and found them glazed. He followed her eyes to Issei and the Satan was confused. "Why are you looking at Hyoudou like that, Akeno?"

He received nothing but silence. Akeno's eyes fluttered as she moaned and the Devil that held power that gave him the title of Lucifer looked away. His face was red as he spotted Akeno shake in her seat.

"What is she doing Rias?" The aura of a Satan was gone as Rias looked to Akeno and her cheeks flushed red.

"Akeno is…she takes pleasure from pain at times." Drool came from her mouth as she moaned again.

"We'll continue this later." Sirzechs rose and strode out the room with all the dignity he could. The redness to his cheeks made it very difficult to carry the aura of Lucifer as he left.

Fourteen Days After Arrival…

"Issei, you'll be fighting her entire Peerage again. What I told you two weeks ago stands, don't go easy on her or any of them." The teen nodded as he strode forward, King's Dragon appeared in a burst of green and red. The Maou turned to where his sister and her Peerage stood at the ready, waiting for the signal to begin. "Rias, use what you've learned these past two weeks and defeat Issei this time. If you do, I'll buy you all the models you want from that show you like."

His sister sufficiently bribed, Sirzechs teleported away from the battlefield.

Issei's hands fell into his pockets and he looked at the Devils across from him. He blinked, King's Dragon closed armored fingers around one of the blades Yuuto fired forward using his Sword Birth before it let out a roar and made use of the blade. Each of the blades coming towards Issei were deflected with the weapon before it was thrown aside. Yuuto appeared to Issei's side and stabbed a sword in his hand into the ground. The Demon Sword seemed to howl before gales tore at Issei but King's Dragon swung its arm out, creating an emerald square barrier in front of him. It drove itself into the ground as Yuuto appeared behind him and another Demon Sword struck the ground.

'Heat.' Issei could feel it as King's Dragon ripped him into the air, created an emerald platform for him to stand on, and drove one of its hands into the ground while the other was directed towards Kiba, palm facing the blonde Devil.

A blazing pillar of fire didn't erupt from the ground. A green wave of power fired towards Yuuto only for a wall of Demon Swords to spring up from the ground, consume the energy, and King's Dragon withdrew its hand from the ground. It vanished and appeared in front of Issei as he dropped to the ground and matched Koneko's blow with its own. Issei grabbed hold of the same arm King's Dragon had thrown forward and winced. He looked at the white haired girl with shock before King's Dragon threw her away with a second blow.

At least it tried to.

Lightning ripped down from the sky and the armored defender moved out of the way, taking Issei with it as Koneko fell onto all fours on the ground. Yuuto charged forward from behind, the blades of Demon Swords ripping free of the ground and turning it into a bed of steel. King's Dragon turned to face this newest threat with a roar.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" They were demolished, shards sent forward as improvised projectiles to lacerate Yuuto only for him to swing down with a new Demon Sword, its blade pitch black and leaving the a trail of darkness in the air it cut through.

Darkness opened as a void. It greedily consumed the shards before vanishing from sight.

"That's a bit unfair." Issei slid his hands out of his pockets, King's Dragon overlaid with his own form. He lifted one arm into the air and closed his eyes. "If you're going to use your Sacred Gear so much Yuuto, I'll do the same."

The crimson gauntlet known as the Boosted Gear burst into view. Issei held it out, the claws that covered his fingers flashing with a dangerous light.

"Boost." The gauntlet flashed with power as it sounded off.

Power erupted around him before he dashed forward. He wasn't as fast as Kiba but didn't need to be. King's Dragon would cover for any of his weaknesses.

"Boost." The gauntlet sounded off again and his speed grew.

Yuuto held a new sword in hand when he reached him. His armored arm clashed against the blade of the sword before his fingers wrapped around it. His enhanced strength shattered it just as King's Dragon burst forward with its fists cocked back.

"ECHIE-" It delivered hardly a dozen blows to Yuuto before it was frozen in place and Issei turned to the source of his frozen Stand. He found the glowing eyes of Gasper not too far away and threw himself forward with the Boosted Gear extended.

"Boost." The gauntlet sounded off again and his foot cratered the ground as he launched off of it.

"Dragon Shot!" He fired an emerald sphere of power forward, Gasper's glowing eyes widening as he was forced to duck or risk trying to take on the attack. It ripped through the air where he stood just as King's Dragon regained its ability to move and used its armored arms to stop Yuuto's swing on Issei's back.

More lightning came then and Issei threw himself to the ground, avoiding a charred fate. King's Dragon appeared then and roared as it brought its fists together before drawing them apart, bands of energy connecting each knuckle to the opposite. It ripped its arms out to the side and unleashed four razor sharp bands of energy through the air towards the source of the electricity. Yuuto attacked from behind with Demon Swords ripping through the ground around Issei, all of them aiming to skewer him.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" King's Dragon shattered the blades of them all, sent them hurtling back through the air as broken shards of once powerful blades. The Stand moved just as Issei lifted his hand and the gauntlet on his arm flashed once more.

"Boost." The gauntlet sounded off again and Issei's hand was consumed in an emerald cloak of power.

"King's Dragon." Issei turned and fired a wave of energy into the waiting form of his Stand. It roared as power enshrouded it for a moment before it rose an armored fist into the air. Power engulfed it, emerald light burning with the intensity of the sun.

"ECHI!" One of its fist slammed into the ground and emerald lances burst free from it, creating a shining pseudo-forest of spears around Issei.

"Boost." The gauntlet sounded off again and Issei let his hand rest at his side, his other hand falling into his pocket.

"Man…this gauntlet ruins my style." Issei looked down at the Sacred Gear said to possess the power to kill Gods and sighed. He turned it over as if in close examination as King's Dragon stood behind him, fists at its side as it awaited whatever would come next. "It's way too big to fit in my pocket…"

"ECHI!" A ball of destruction, no doubt sent by Rias, ripped through the emerald stalks. King's Dragon threw both its fists forward together and an emerald wave fired forward, knocking the attack it knew better than to try and simply stop or deflect off course. It struck the ground next to Issei and burrowed into it as the dirt in its way was annihilated.

Koneko then dropped down from above, King's Dragon bringing a palm up to catch her fist as it drew its other fist back.

"FUCK!" Issei screamed as he clutched at his arm with the Boosted Gear covering his hand. Pain ripped through him, made him want to simply fall then and there, and he settled for focusing it on a glare to the girl that had caused it. King's Dragon didn't get a chance to throw her away as she pushed herself off of the Stand's palm and landed on one of the shattered emerald lances.

'That's the second time.' Issei grit his teeth as he forced himself back to his feet from where he had fallen onto a knee. He glared at Koneko but received nothing but the girl's usual emotionless gaze. He forced himself to stand as King's Dragon drew back, overlaid with his form. 'The first one was easy to deal with but that?' He shot a glance to his arm, several bones assuredly broken. 'How is she doing that?'

"You're hurt." Koneko stated a fact where she stood. "You don't get hurt often."

"King's Dragon is the absolute defense." Issei was repeating something he thought was an infallible fact of the universe. He winced as his broken arm was shifted as he spoke. "I don't know how you're managing to do it but trust me when I say I'll stop it and pulverize you eventually."

"No you won't." Koneko threw herself forward, King's Dragon burst forward with a roar.

Each clash of their fists brought a fresh new pain to Issei but he ignored it, he only grit his teeth as he looked to Koneko. He stared past King's Dragon and focused on the Devil it was battling with narrowed eyes, the Devil who was matching the powerful Stand blow for blow.

"What?" Issei fell to a knee suddenly, feeling as if his power was drained just as King's Dragon's blows came with less force, less power. He lurched forward and narrowly stopped himself with his usable arm, biting down a scream when his broken arm hung down towards the ground. "How are you doing this?"

"Good job Koneko." Rias's voice came from somewhere in the fading forest of emerald. Issei's eyes just took it in and his eyes widened when they turned to Koneko once more. He took note of the cute ears on her head, the two tails that swished back and forth on the ground, and the fact she was faintly glowing.

"You're…you're absorbing my power." Issei was overcome with another spell of weakness as Koneko nodded, the glow around her increasing in intensity. "H-How?" King's Dragon dropped back, vanished from sight without a chance of remaining. "How?"

"That would be telling." Koneko smirked at him as Rias dropped down to the ground, her wings vanishing from sight. The rest of her Peerage joined her and the human was surrounded by Devils. Rias smiled wide as she saw the teen defeated on the ground, hardly remaining on a knee. She felt some pity at his broken arm but she was happy that training with her brother had been worthwhile. "You've lost Issei. Surrender and you won't be hurt any further."

"No." Issei didn't let the next surge of weakness stop him. He rose to his feet, however shakily, and locked eyes with Rias. "I shouldn't have gone so easy on you."

King's Dragon appeared with a roar as it surged forward. Koneko's eyes widened as Issei threw his armor clad hand forward. Power burned within the Boosted Gear, power Issei had been saving for this exact moment, however unlikely it would be.

"GIFT!" King's Dragon was an emerald shrouded blur.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" It was everywhere. The Stand beat the Devils around him senseless with a fury of blows, holding nothing back with the energy Issei had given it. "ECHI!" A simultaneous uppercut to them all threw them back into the air.

The Stand glanced around for a moment before nodding to itself and fading away. Issei looked down at his broken arm before turning to Sirzechs as he appeared, stopping to check on his unconscious sister.

"I'm surprised you went so easy on them for so long." Sirzechs sighed as Issei allowed the Boosted Gear to vanish. "What were you planning?"

"I don't like fighting at a range." Issei let his broken arm simply hang, ignoring the pain such an action caused. "If she thought she had me backed into a corner, she would gather her Peerage and confront me. I was storing power in the Boosted Gear this entire time and just waited for it." He gestured to his arm. "This was a necessary sacrifice to lure her in."

"It's strange that wounds inflicted on your Stand reflect on your own body." Sirzechs shook his head. "It's even stranger you call it the absolute defense with a drawback as extreme as that."

"King's Dragon's covered in armor very few things can get through." Issei glanced to his arm. The pain there was nothing compared to the pain he had lived with every day for years now. "Speaking of King's Dragon, I've got a question for you Lucifer." Issei pointed to the unconscious white haired girl with his healthy arm, her cat ears and tails gone. "What did you teach Koneko-chan?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. Use what you've learned from this fight to develop a counter for it and defeat her sooner next time and force Rias to improvise more with a key component of her main strategy gone before she could put her plan into action." Sirzechs glanced to his unconscious sister who would no doubt be in pain later. "What did you think of Yuuto during the fight?"

"He was annoying with all the swords he sent at me but not much more than that. He just spammed his Demon Swords at me without an actual plan." Issei looked to where the blonde Devil laid unconscious. "Anytime we fight, he always gets really angry and tries to kill me but he doesn't know how to get past King's Dragon."

"I feared he would get like this." Sirzechs brought a hand to his chin, falling into thought. "Tomorrow, you'll battle only him. Taunt him until he speaks of the cause of why he wants to kill you. Once you have such, use it when you attack him. Humiliate him if you have to. Show him the gap between your power and his."

"You want me to motivate him with his hatred of me?" Issei's question brought on a nod from the Maou. He shrugged. Pain lanced through his mind. He ignored it. "Sure. I've been waiting to cut loose on that damn handsome bastard for a while now."

"What of Akeno's support role?" The dark haired Devil was unconscious like all the rest but a pleased smile crossed her face even in such a state.

"Her lightning isn't useful now. King's Dragon wasn't used to it the first time she used it but she can't rely on it anymore to hurt me. I know for sure King's Dragon is keeping an eye on her even if she thinks she's out of my range. If she was dangerous, she wouldn't have lasted as long as she did." Issei didn't look to the Devil he had learned delighted in both causing and receiving pain. The less he saw of her in such a state was the better for him.

"I feared that was the case." Sirzechs breathed out a sigh. "Her durability and speed could be useful but she instinctively relies on her lightning magic. I told her to use different spells but she seems to have ignored me in favor of falling into bad habits." The Lucifer looked to Issei. "She delights at causing you pain."

"I figured." He didn't bother pretending to be surprised. He didn't need to put on a show for the unconscious Peerage anymore and yawned. He desperately needed a nap. "That Gasper guy would be a problem for anybody you know if he had better control over his Sacred Gear." Issei glanced to the reincarnated hybrid. "The ability to stop time, even limited like it is, is enough to get by King's Dragon even if I'm serious. No matter what I try, I can't think of anything to counter that particular ability."

"Forbidden Balor View is a powerful Sacred Gear, it's no Longinus but a master of its power has the ability to beat anyone." Sirzechs closed his eyes and sighed once more. "If Rias had told me of Gasper's state when she first reincarnated him I feel he would be far more powerful than he currently is. I could have offered her some advice, talked her out of sealing him away and letting this problem fester as it has."

"I'm kind of glad he's not really good at using his power." Issei didn't look away from the Bishop that had so much potential. "If he was a real enemy and I had to fight him…I would be dead a dozen times over. King's Dragon can't really defend me if it can't move."

"I wish we had more time." Sirzechs looked at all the Devils laid out across the ground, beaten senseless by Issei's Stand. "I wish I had known about you years ago so I could ask you to help train Rias. Knowing someone so powerful was in the same city as her for so long…I can still hardly believe no one ever discovered you until recently."

"A Stand isn't like a Sacred Gear." Issei wasn't going to speak more on the topic. He turned and began walking back to the mansion. "I'm going to go heal my arm."

"Remember, we'll train more tonight."

Issei gave a silent nod. He continued on his way.

Eighteen Days After Arrival…

"You've gotten closer." Rias and her Peerage were once again on the ground, this time gathered in front of Issei, but they were conscious this time. He tipped an imaginary hat to the Devils and the effort they put in to try and defeat him. "I'm taking this a lot more seriously than when we first got here and you actually made me worry for a second."

Issei was referring to the results of the Power of Destruction Rias had unleashed on him in a blind rage. It had drained her of her Demonic Power and left her to collapse but she had felt grim satisfaction at Issei's assured defeat at last.

Her smile had faded when King's Dragon had let loose a roar akin to a dragon and she felt the power Issei had kept hidden from them all. King's Dragon had flown up with power encasing its entire form. Twin symbols she couldn't recognize appeared in front of each of its fists and it punched the air with blinding speed. Emerald rods fired forward and pierced her attack, detonated within, and King's Dragon continued without any end in sight.

It hadn't tried to match her Power of Destruction but instead dispersed it until it was harmless. The blasts from within rendered it unstable, made it easy to chip away at with the insane speed King's Dragon could move at with so much energy.

'This…this is hopeless…' Every time they had met in battle, her Peerage had been defeated by the human in front of them. She had seen his power match her brother but she never expected the gap between her and a human to be so great. Sirzechs had been angry, focused on wanting to hurt Issei more than using his power, he had been far from his true power. King's Dragon hadn't managed to harm her brother, a Maou, beyond ruining his armor.

She thought she stood a chance.

"Your Power of Destruction is pretty powerful." Issei yawned, covering his mouth with the hand not clad in the Boosted Gear. "I don't know how anybody can take that on. Imagine if they were frozen or something? Bad things would happen, probably end up with them dead."

"Why can't we beat you?" Yuuto's voice was filled with hate as he spoke the question that burned on each of their minds. They wanted to know why Issei Hyoudou was so power, why he had managed to beat Devils time and time again despite being a normal human, and why he never seemed to care at the end of the day. Why? Why could a human beat them so easily?

"Why? I don't have a clue why you can't manage that." Issei shrugged his shoulders as the Boosted Gear vanished from his arm. "But you really should be asking how." The human yawned once more, he had to know how much the act infuriated them. "Anyway, I'm going inside."

Sirzechs watched the human leave the training field. He looked to his sister as she struggled to rise, her Demonic Power completely exhausted, and sighed.

"That'll be enough training for today. Head back inside and rest." He followed Issei inside without another word.

The training he put the human through that night wasn't as harsh as it normally was.

"You're taunting them now." Sirzechs and Issei walked through the mountains, looking for a suitable spot to practice Issei's more dangerous abilities. "Why?"

"I don't know." Issei came to a stop. Sirzechs did the same, a step away from him, and turned to face the human. "I saw how Rias was looking today, saw how sad she looked when she saw King's Dragon get rid of her last attack when she thought she had me, and I felt like doing it." He rose his hand up to his face, covered one of his eyes, and let his head drop back. "Maybe I'm trying to motivate her or discourage her from doing an attack like that again?" His voice was lazy drawl. "Maybe I wanted to see if any of them had any fight left in them? Who would come to her defense, try to attack me for her 'honor'?" He dragged his hand down his face, let it fall back to his side. His eyes looked up into the star filled night sky and his mind drifted to a blonde nun. "I may have just felt like messing with her honestly."

"You are strange Issei Hyoudou." Sirzechs said the only thing he could before he turned and resumed walking.

Two Days Later, Yesterday…

"Well…that was unexpected." Issei lifted a hand up to his face and looked down at it. His blood stained his skin red. "Very…unexpected." He dropped onto his back.

"I can't believe this." Yuuto didn't know to smile with satisfaction or hate the fact that they had at last defeated Issei with such means. "How does this make any sense?"

"Rias…please go back inside and put some clothes on." Sirzechs was well accustomed with his sister's sleeping habits but he didn't know she was so dead to the world when she was awoken so early.

He had begun training earlier than usual a few minutes after the sun had risen. Rias had been absent from the training field so Issei had been facing Yuuto, Koneko, and Gasper while he sent Akeno inside to grab Rias. By the smile he could see on her face, the dark haired Queen had wanted this to happen. Rias had flown out of the house, sans clothes, and landed on the ground directly in front of Issei. He had taken one look at her before his nose had begun to bleed. The more she moved, anxious to begin, the more blood that flowed.

"I don't see why I should." His sister's naked form did nothing to him. "This looks like the best strategy to beat Issei."

"Riser will not fall to the same strategy." 'Hopefully' was added in his mind as Sirzechs brought his palm to his face. He took a deep breath and counted down from ten before he opened his eyes again. "Issei Hyoudou is a teenage boy who just saw a beautiful girl come out naked. Riser won't expect it but he won't be affected like that."

Rias pouted but she took to the air using her wings. She flew back a few minutes later, this time clothed. Issei had awakened by the time she returned. His attempt to project an air of impassiveness was ruined by the scarlet blush staining his face every time he glanced to Rias.

"I-I think I'm going to go now." Issei's eyes were focused on the ground as he walked back towards the house.

"I think we should be rewarded for beating Issei." Rias looked to her brother as she spoke. "He's kept his power secret from us ever since you brought him here. He should tell us what King's Dragon is."

"King's Dragon is a Stand." Issei was more aware than Sirzechs thought as he came to a stop and looked to Rias, whatever embarrassment he felt gone.

"This should be moved inside." Sirzechs's suggestion was an order in truth. In a few minutes, the Devils sat around a table with the human. Tea was served by the servants but beyond that all was silent. "This is better."

"As I said, King's Dragon is a Stand." Issei looked into the liquid in his cup. "My spirit was considered strong enough to create a form to interact with the world and King's Dragon is it."

"How?" Rias seemed to remember his words from days ago.

"But you really should be asking how." Issei wanted to curse his past self for saying such but figured there was no harm. Even if they knew about it, there was nothing they could do to hurt him still.

"When I was younger, a…an incident happened." Issei looked to the arm that he summoned the Boosted Gear to. He closed his eyes. He opened them once more. "I was left incapacitated for close to a month but the incident caused King's Dragon to develop. I hardy understand why it happened but since then King's Dragon has been with me ever since."

"That's all you're going to tell us?" Issei didn't look up from the tea but nodded. Rias didn't look happy with the information. "You aren't going to say anything else?"

"The…it was the most painful experience I've ever encountered in my life." His eyes focused on the tea. "Doctors told my parents they were amazed I had survived. I was told I should have been put in a coma or died from what happened but I survived. My recovery took time but that continued to surprise the doctors. They told my parents a seven year old shouldn't be able to survive what happened to me. I should have died but I didn't for whatever reason." His eyes rose from the tea. "A friend visited me while I was in the hospital, told me I should thank God for helping me live."

Rias shivered where she sat. The eyes that looked at her were completely empty save for one thing.

Hate. A burning hate that eclipsed anything she had ever seen before.

"I only thank God for letting me see the face of the bastard who shot me."

Present…

Issei reached the source of the voice and Sirzechs Lucifer gestured for him to enter the training field. He didn't question it and his hands fell into his pockets from the routine he had developed with the dozens of times he had walked onto the same field day in and day out.

"Don't bother summoning King's Dragon. I just want to talk with you today." Sirzechs began walking farther out into the training field and Issei followed. The Devil was silent until their distance from the house the other Devils resided in was significant, over half an hour later. "This should do."

He turned to Issei.

"Rias is not ready for this." Issei nodded to what the Satan said. "I've trained her into the ground, trained all of her Peerage into the ground, but none of them are ready to fight someone like Riser in three days. They won't be defeated easily but I doubt Riser was idle while I trained you all. He no doubt prepared himself for a war and Rias isn't ready for that. She's strong, she has heart, all of them do, but Riser has a flawless record in the Rating Games, dozens of victories over opponents that had nearly the same if not more experience than him. He knows tactics, knows the ends and outs of each of his Peerage members, and he's powerful enough to defeat her and her entire Peerage himself if it comes to it. Rias thinks she can win with what I've given her but I know she can't, Riser's immortality is too big of a hurdle to overcome with such limited time. If I had more time I could…I could at least do something."

"I don't see why you're worried." Issei withheld the desire to yawn or stretch. "You've given me access to the Boosted Gear and my Stand has grown in power with the training you've given me. I know what to expect from Riser and will handle him for Rias. She just needs to understand that."

"Devils are prideful creatures Issei." Sirzechs stated a simple fact. "No matter how well she's hidden it from you, she probably hates the fact that you'll be the one she has to rely on to win the Rating Game. She knows her Peerage is strong but Riser's is stronger simply because he's the King of it. If his immortality was removed, even if it was less potent, I have no doubt Rias would win but that's not the case. She'll face Riser head on, King to King, and she'll realize she can't overcome his power with her own, even with her Peerage's. She'll discover that and want to do nothing but give up, resign herself to her fate."

"I won't let her." Issei drew his hand out of his pocket and power surged forth from it, a red light blanketed the two for a moment. It faded and revealed the gauntlet on his arm. "I'll use the power that can kill Gods to win this for her because I don't want to end up a member of her Peerage at the end of the day."

"I'm almost glad you don't like my sister." Sirzechs found something worth smiling over. "This makes me trust you much more with all this."

"I intend to keep to my end of our contract." Issei turned back to the house in the distance. "Just make sure you keep to your end when this is all over Lucifer."

"I will."

From Issei's perspective, the remaining three days passed astoundingly quickly. The day of the Rating Game had come and anxiousness filled the air. Anticipation, nervousness, fear, and more came from the Devils that would be battling for the future of Rias Gremory, one side for her freedom and the other for her promised hand in marriage.

Issei shared none of their feelings. He stood at ease with his hands in his pockets in the chamber the Peerage waited for the official beginning of the Rating Game to be announced. Where Kiba tried to focus beyond the battle they would be participating in soon, Gasper wished for a box, Koneko bit at her lips in worry, Akeno tried to ease the worry of her King despite her own, and Rias paced back and forth he was entirely calm. He had no reason to worry for the outcome of the contest with what he had risked to take part in it.

He didn't have the option to fail.

Asia was waiting for him to come home, his parents were waiting for him to come home. He couldn't hurt them by coming back a monster, a Devil. He had to win it because of them. He had to fight like he actually cared for once because he did.

'I won't fail.' He silently repeated those words to himself. He eased his worries with them, cast out his nervousness, and focused on the future.

"Rias-sama, the Rating Game will begin shortly." The maid, Lucifer's wife, appeared from a crimson circle on the floor. "Are you ready?" Actually concern entered the Devil's voice and Rias silently nodded. The Devil looked to her for a moment longer before nodding herself. "Prepare to enter the arena."

It happened five minutes later. The anxiousness was returning when a number of symbols on the floor had flashed to light. They had done so for twenty seconds, the Devils having long since came over to them, and in the blink of an eye they had all vanished. Issei had blinked and his eyes had opened to the sight of the Occult Research Club's clubroom. His hands remained in his pockets and he strode out of the room without a word as Rias began directing her Peerage.

He dimly heard something about Kiba heading out with Koneko while Akeno and Gasper prepared traps with her. He didn't care.

He only had to bother with walking to Riser Phenex.


	4. Chapter 4

"Rias should have accepted my offer a month ago." Riser Phenex leaned back in his seat, the Student Council room his to do with as he pleased. "It'll be unpleasant to have to beat my own wife senseless but she is just obsessed with refusing all my offers, all my gifts, and-" Fires burst to life around him, the women that made up his Peerage all stepped away from their suddenly enraged King. "-and now she's brought in that human to fight for her. The boy who I will personally be incinerating for daring to even look at my wife, dare to lie right to my face, and dare to insult my wife right in front of me. He'll wish that he'd never been born by the time I'm finished with him."

"You shouldn't concern yourself with the actions of a human Riser-sama, allow your servants to go out and bring him to you for his punishment." His Queen, Yubelluna, approached him, laid a hand on his flaming shoulder and hoped it didn't hurt her. Such an act proved her master maintained control of himself despite his rage as the fires around his died down to pale embers instead of the inferno they once were. "We will handle this dreadful business while you speak with your misbehaving wife."

"Leave the boy to me no matter what." Riser gave his order. It would be obeyed by his Peerage. "Do whatever you want to the rest of them but I'll incinerate him in front of her as a wedding gift."

"Of course, Riser-sama." Yubelluna bowed even if his back was turned to her. She rose and turned to the others. "You heard Riser-sama, leave only the boy. Retire the rest."

The Peerage rushed to do the bidding of their King. Rias Gremory would be left alone but the rest of her Peerage would fall to their might. She would have no chance then. Her Demonic Power may be great and her Power of Destruction may be greater but she could not triumph over the might of Riser Phenex. He was their invincible King after all.

"Where the hell am I?" Issei had taken a wrong turn on the way to where he thought Riser was staying at for the Rating Game. He found himself beneath the school, pipes running above his head and a fair number of concrete walkways stretched out to the four compass directions. "Which one do I take?" He glanced to all four before sighing eventually. "Moss grows on the north, the sun sets in the west but rises in the east…what does any of that mean?" Issei brought a hand up to his face as he blindly chose a path. "I hope I don't regret this."

'W-What the hell is he doing?' Sirzechs looked on as Issei went in the completely wrong direction. 'He's supposed to be saving my sister's happiness? Why doesn't he just punch his way out like I know he can?' He was the picture of calm and decorum on the outside but his rage was growing on the inside. He wanted to rip through the barriers and snatch Issei up by his throat.

He didn't care that such a tactic would be ineffective with King's Dragon. He wanted to make the boy feel pain for his stupidity. He wanted him to suffer if he was going to let his sister get hurt while he got himself lost!

"Lucifer-sama." Grayfia knew him too well. She reached out and took hold of his hand. It was one of their rare public displays and he used it to focus. "Don't worry."

"My sister's happiness is on the line Grayfia." Sirzechs glanced to the screen and felt his rage build once more. Issei was lost at another intersection. "He's my trump card and he doesn't even seem to care despite what happens to him if he fails. He told me himself he doesn't want to join her Peerage."

"Perhaps he has faith in your sister." Grayfia's words made his eyes widen, only a fraction and he quickly regained control of himself but it still happened. Grayfia caught the minute movement and he saw the small smile she wore despite how quickly it vanished. "You trained her yourself for a month, prepared her all you could, and he is allowing her to show how strong she has become thanks to her Onii-sama."

"I-" Sirzechs wanted to laugh at himself in that moment. He hardly withheld the urge, hardly maintained the proper decorum of an Ultimate Class Devil. "I've been so worried about her for so long I guess I thought Issei would end this as quickly as he possibly could. I never thought he would take this on with anything less than absolutely seriousness."

"Why are there so many paths to take?" Issei let his head fall forward. He rose it and looked between the options presented to him.

One path was brightly lit by a number of lights hanging on either side of the ceiling. The walls were pristine, looked to be freshly painted almost, and seemed to almost beckon him forward.

The other was hardly lit, flickering bulbs running down the center of the ceiling hardly doing their job. Most were out. The walls were cracked and it looked to be on the verge of collapsing.

"This is impossible." Issei turned around and froze. Four paths were presented to him and he looked to each of them. "Which way did I come from?" He looked to each of them, looked down at his feet, and tried to draw a line with his eyes on where he had walked in from.

It was impossible. He turned back around with a shake of his head.

"I'll pick one of these two then." He strode forward to be closer to the fork in his road and looked to both options before him. "One of these is probably a trap…" Issei shrugged his shoulders and took the dark path.

"He's an idiot."

"He probably is." Grayfia agreed with her husband. "If he becomes a member of Rias-sama's Peerage, could you have him challenge Riser for the marriage contract in exchange for freedom?"

"That was my original plan but no one from her own Peerage was strong enough to battle Riser with a chance of victory. As for his freedom, I'm not so sure."

Koneko and Yuuto stood together as they waited for the battle they both knew was coming. A Demon Sword rested at Yuuto's side and Koneko wore a pair of gloves. Her appearance had also been changed with the addition of cat ears and a single white tail.

"I thought I wouldn't get a chance to fight when Hyoudou left early." Yuuto did not like Issei but waiting in silence was only making him more and more anxious. "I thought for sure he would attack Riser before any of us could get close to fighting any of his Peerage."

"He's probably lost." Koneko's eyes looked for their approaching foes, both could feel them coming closer and closer. "I think he gets lost easily."

"Where is the human?" The voice came behind them but neither turned. Both could tell the work of a Bishop's magic and knew they would only be opening themselves up to an ambush of some sort. Be it magical or physical.

"Neither of us have any idea." Yuuto stepped forward and a second Demon Sword appeared in his other hand as he lifted it, leveling the blade where he figured his enemies now hid themselves away. "But you've come to face us to get to Rias Gremory. I am her Knight, Yuuto Kiba, and I will not allow you to harm my King!" His declaration made, Yuuto rose his second Demon Sword next and crossed both in front of him. "Come forward and face me in combat."

"Ile, he's pretty stupid."

"Really stupid."

Yuuto heard the revving of the chainsaws before he saw the blurs that charged across the ground towards him. Twin turquoise haired girls threw away the gym bags they had carried their weapons with as they charged forward and Yuuto immediately stepped back. Koneko shook her head but her face remained completely blank as the Knight took cover, the Rook not bothering.

'Idiots.' The Demon Swords Yuuto had planted into the ground with Koneko's help erupted then. They were bombs at best, meant for one time use as projectiles, and it showed. He had planted a baker's dozen in the ground and four of them detonated, rose up out of the ground when the twin girls crossed over them. They both screamed as they were consumed in the explosion but Koneko felt no pity. They had Promoted to a Knight for one and a Rook for the other and such a thing guaranteed at least one of them survived the encounter.

"You saved me there Nel." The voice that came from the smoke, in addition to the renewed revving of the chainsaws showed both had survived.

"But my cute uniform is destroyed." The voice of Nel sounded back, identical to the other. "Riser-sama is going to be mad at me."

"Not if we beat these two for him." He heard ripping. "Now mine's ripped too anyway! He'll be mad at both of us!"

Yuuto charged into the smoke, swinging the sword in his left hand and unleashing a gale to blow away the dirt and smoke from his explosion and swung with his right sword. His blade was met with the roaring blade of a chainsaw but he didn't fear for it breaking. The Demon Sword was made durable to combat the two after all. He drew back and lunged forward with it, the stance he took similar to fencing but modified for the other sword in his hand.

"He's strong." He had chosen to attack the one that had Promoted to Rook it seems. Her strength was more than her small frame should allow even for a Devil.

'I shouldn't jump to conclusions through.' He stepped back, drew his right sword back and prepared to use the special ability of his left sword. 'Koneko's stronger than me and she doesn't look like much either.' He thrust forward once, twice, three, four, the number kept adding up.

A spiraling bullet of air ripped free as he used his Demonic Power to empower the blade, channeled it down to the tip at the end of each thrust. A cry came from the girl he was fighting, the one he identified as the Rook, before her sister was in front of her. Her chainsaw was durable, able to bat away the air bullets charged with Demonic Power with the flat side of it. She was rather dexterous with it and fast.

'I was right.' Yuuto drew back, settled the sword at his side with the other. 'She's the Rook and she's the Knight.' It didn't help much as the two were identical after whatever one had done. He believed it was Nel who had taken the brunt of the damage and had damaged her uniform. Ile had responded in kind by tearing her own to match. They remained almost impossible to distinguish if not for the way they stood. 'The Rook is taking point, the Knight is waiting for her to block before attacking me.'

"Nya, Ni, she's a nekomata like us." Yuuto spotted a red haired Devil approach Koneko. He couldn't do much to intervene as the Knight Pawn suddenly surged forward, forcing him to stop her chainsaw from cutting him in two at the waist with the sword in his right hand.

"She is." A voice very similar to her own answered her, a blue haired Devil at her side and both looked at the white haired Rook. "She isn't as cute as us."

"Nya, Riser-sama wouldn't want her." The red haired Devil brought her hands up to her chest, shamelessly groping her chest. "She's so small, isn't she Li?"

"She is." The blue haired Devil did the same to hers. "Riser-sama wouldn't like her like he likes us."

"I'm going to break you." Koneko didn't waste time, or address the redness to her cheeks. She attacked.

She was blocked, the red haired nekomata catching her fist with her palm and the blue haired one striking out at her stomach. She was barely fazed as she was sent crashing back through the air. The two triggered a trap from Yuuto but avoided it, the explosion not even managing to catch their respective long hair. It didn't matter regardless. From the blow she had received and the fact that her blow had been blocked, Koneko could guess the two had Promoted themselves the same way the other pair of twins had.

The red haired one was most likely the Rook and the blue haired one was most likely the Knight.

'There's more of them.' Yuuto could sense the other members of Riser's Peerage simply waiting. They no doubt feared the minefield he had left and were waiting either for the two sets of twins to defeat Koneko and him or for any of the four to be defeated and join the battle themselves. 'The threat of the bombs won't keep them back for long.' The longer one went without being triggered, the less and less time the two Devils had to end the fight. Eventually they would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers if they didn't keep them divided. 'We're outnumbered too much to let this go on for long.'

"Die already!" Nel and Ile shouted at him as both cleaved down with their chainsaws. The Knight avoided the twin blows with the expected ease but didn't keep hold of either sword any longer. They broke down as he held a hand in front of him, placing the other behind his back.

'Things are not on our side without him here.' Despite his feelings towards Issei, Yuuto knew he was powerful. He was more powerful than everyone else in the Rating Game most likely, even Riser was probably weaker than him. 'If he was here, we would probably be on our way to battle Riser right now.' Yuuto could hate the fact that he had to rely on the boy that had insulted Rias to win the Rating Game for them. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance against the Phenex no matter what he wished to think. 'He's our only shot at actually winning this…that means I have to hold them here until he gets to Riser.'

A new Demon Sword took form in his hand, a rapier that crackled with electricity. It leapt from the hilt, raced down his arm, and his hair stood on end from the charge in the air.

'I need to end this.' Yuuto charged forward with speed far surpassing his normal level, a speed already far surpassing the normal Knight. A Promoted Pawn stood no chance to stop him.

His rapier lanced through the chainsaw raised by Nel and the tip struck her in the chest. She screamed as electricity raced through her, gave her a thoroughly singed look a moment later, before Yuuto withdrew the rapier and struck the ground. It discharged as he threw himself into the air. He landed on the end of the hilt as Ile joined her sister on the ground with a groan.

"Two of Riser Phenex's Pawns have been retired." A voice sounded off from above as the two girls were taken away from the arena, both fried by Yuuto's Demon Sword. He dropped back to the ground and his eyes searched for his next opponents as he drew the weapon free.

"Who will come next?" Yuuto wasn't surprised when the idea of fairplay was gone. A pair of Knights attacked him with four Pawns who hastily Promoted to Knight. His eyes narrowed as a second rapier, identical to the other, appeared in his free hand.

'Hold the line.' He withheld a wince as more electricity raced through him. He charged forward.

"Kiba." Koneko stopped the blows of Ni and Li with ease, the two nekomata heavily outclassed by the secret nekoshou. She didn't waste any more time with the scantily clad girls and struck both of them in the stomach before they could react. They were thrown back through the air and nearly into their fellow Peerage members if they hadn't been avoided.

"Two of Riser Phenex's Pawns have been retired!" The voice sounded off from above again as the two girls were taken away from the arena just like Ile and Nel before them. Koneko didn't waste time with her victory, she joined Yuuto and turned a six on one battle into a pair of three on one battles.

"Ara Buchou, it seems Riser-san has sent his women out." Akeno stood with her in the replica of her clubroom, Gasper by the King's side. Rias wasn't disturbed at the smile her Queen wore while lightning cracked off of her form. "Should I go greet them?"

"Let Yuuto and Koneko have their fun before you get involved Akeno." Rias dismissed her with those words and her Queen eagerly flew off to battle.

'I can't believe I have to rely on Issei to win this for me.' Rias wanted to sigh but didn't. Devils across the Underworld were watching the current Rating Game and she needed to act proper. No matter how much she wanted to scream, to cry, to shout, she could do none of it. She needed to behave properly. 'I don't even know where he is.' The worry she felt was buried deep. 'How is he supposed to help me win if he's wandered off to wherever he is?'

"Where am I?" Issei felt as if he was further beneath the school then when he had started. His back hit the cracked wall behind him and he sighed. "King's Dragon."

The Stand burst to life in a blaze of red and green with a roar that made the tunnel shake.

"Just punch my way out of here." The Stand nodded before it looked to the ceiling and drew a fist back, the other hand extended forward, as if to assist it in aiming.

"ECHI!" The blow connected and the entire tunnel came down on his head.

"Oh…" Issei let his head fall. "I should have seen that coming."

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" King's Dragon was working overtime to keep him safe from the debris.

"Four. Four of my Pawns retired." Riser leaned back in his chair, Yubelluna rubbed his shoulders as he covered his eyes with one hand. "I can hardly believe they were that weak so Rias must have taken her training with her brother more seriously than I thought she would. I knew her and her Peerage had potential but I never figured it would be that great, increase so much in just a month to that kind of level."

"Her servants are still hardly even pitiful dogs when compared to your fearsome power Riser-sama." Yubelluna's words made him nod.

"Of course. I'm only humoring her anyway. I could have ended this in minutes but I'm not that cruel to my wife. I'll let her fight, let her come to me with her Peerage, and then I'll show her why the Phenex family is so feared." Riser smiled at the very thought. "She'll quit all this useless rebelling nonsense when she sees my power and come where she belongs."

"Your bed Riser-sama? Begging for you to treat her as she deserves?" Yubelluna leaned forward to whisper into his ear and he laughed.

"You have a talent perfect for a Queen, Yubelluna." The blonde Devil reaches up and laid his hand on her cheek, the Devil laying one of her hands over his. "You know exactly what to say to your King."

"Thank you Riser-sama." The mature Devil blushed. Praise from her King could make her no better than a human school girl.

"Ara, you two got a lot stronger in such a short amount of time. You two were always strong but it's almost scary how much you've both improved so much. Before, you two wouldn't be able to face such odds with the confidence you are now but now you can. You may even be able to beat them." Akeno floated in the air above them, lightning gathered in one hand as she took careful aim of her target. "I almost don't even feel like I need to get involved." She lowered her hand, her eyes locked onto the forms of Koneko and Yuuto. "Perhaps I'll just wait."

Koneko blocked the blows from the two women who had once wielded swords, their blades shattered from her blows and they had been forced to resort to using their fists. She winced when she failed to draw her fist back, the two Knights took hold of them, and a third, dressed with a metal bikini top and pink shroud, struck out at her. She was a Pawn that had Promoted to Knight and her blow connected with her stomach and Koneko was thrown back but held in place by the two true Knights of Riser's Peerage. The Pawn struck out again but her fist clashed with the white haired girl's foot this time. She tried to shove her away with the limb but her footing was bad, ripped away from her when the two Knights lifted her smaller frame into the air.

"Koneko!" Yuuto was a lightning clad streak across the ground. The two rapiers were held down at his side as he charged to the three that had gained the upper hand on the Rook. He was intercepted before he could reach her by the three remaining Pawns, promoted to Knight. He dodged the blows of the speed novices and ignored them in favor of reaching Koneko. He detonated a sword behind him, allowed it to distract the Devils from stopping him.

He reached the white haired girl then, thrust forward with both of his rapiers to eliminate two more enemies. The tips of his Demon Swords struck a barrier, ceased movement just long enough for the two to leap away. He succeeded in freeing Koneko but not as he would have liked.

"Yuuto." Koneko dropped down to the ground in a crouch. The Knight nodded to her as he lifted his two Demon Swords back up, withheld the desire to wince when pain coursed through his body. Koneko noticed regardless but said nothing.

No words were spoken as the battle began again, the two Knights charging forward once more and attacking ahead of the others. They were novices when it came to using the speed of a Knight and would act as support once the two more use to the speed occupied the two Devils. Yuuto darted forward ahead of Koneko, engaged them first and kept them at a distance with his lightning backed strikes. Each thrust sent forward a bullet of lightning with a small cost to Demonic Power and the six had realized the power behind each rather quickly. It was a painful experience, debilitating enough for any of them to be defeated while they were consumed by the electricity.

Koneko attacked the other four, the Promoted Pawns surprised at the speed the Rook moved at. Her blow struck the ground, sending them all scattering to avoid the debris she unleashed and she leaped after who she deemed the slowest. She had the most difficulty when it came to fighting Yuuto, the wooden staff she made use of part of a fighting style wildly different from the typical Knight. She aimed to retire her and move onto the other three before backing up Yuuto while he dealt with the two disarmed Knights.

She was stopped when two Rooks made themselves known, struck her with strength fitting a Rook. She was sent crashing into the ground and away from her target but she rose back to her feet with some difficulty to the act. She didn't let the effects of the surprise attack show. She didn't let her anger show either.

'Stupid.' She rose her fists up, readied herself for battle once more. 'I forgot about them.' Koneko's eyes shot to the Pawns she had been aiming to attack, saw them look to the two Rook's for guidance. All four didn't waste time at some unspoken signal, charging towards Yuuto. She attempted to intervene of course.

The Rooks intercepted her, their teamwork surprising her as she was floored once more. A double punch had sent her across the ground like a rock skipped across the surface of a lake. She hit the old school building they had been attempting to defend and brushed the rubble off her shoulders. She rose back to feet to no surprise from the two Rooks she fought. They were the same, knew how durable she was, knew what had to be done to remove her from the Rating Game.

'We can't win.' Yuuto knew it the moment the Rooks arrived. 'We've beaten only four of them and Pawns at that, probably the less skilled ones judging from the others here. There's eight of them here. Four Pawns Promoted to Knights, two Knights, and now two Rooks. It was hardly fair six on two but eight on two?'

He made a decision.

He planted his paired Demon Swords into the ground and they immediately created a bright flash. He threw himself back and detonated the remaining blades, others sprouting across the ground from the two Demon Swords he had left impaled there. The explosions weren't designed to retire any more of Riser's Pieces, just a smokescreen as he reached Koneko.

"Fall back." It wasn't a question but he nodded his head when she spoke. She nodded in turn and the two Devils left to another prepared field.

"Pursue those two." One of the Rooks seemed to be in charge above the others, a Bishop hidden from sight emerged cautiously. The Pawns nodded before they took off with the speed of Knights after the single Knight and Rook of Rias Gremory.

A bolt of lightning retired the Bishop.

"One of Riser Phenex's Bishops has been retired!" The voice announced such just as Akeno dropped to the ground, smiling at her future victims. The two Rooks were the main threat, could prove troublesome if not dealt with now.

"Akeno Himejima." One of the Rooks, dressed in a cheongsam, looked to her with undisguised worry but it was swiftly gone. "You are quite the powerful Devil to defeat Riser-sama's Bishop in one blow." She brought her fist into her palm. "Riser-sama will be glad the two of us defeated you before moving on to your King and that human."

"Issei-kun?" Akeno continued to smile at the two even as their powers clashed, the powers of a Queen against the powers of two Rooks. It was only a struggle because of the quantity against her and only just. "Why are you so interested in a normal human?"

"Normal?" The other Rook, a half mask on her face, snorted. "Riser-sama knows of his power, has seen it with his own eyes, and we have all felt it when it struck out at us." Both began to circle around her, take her from the sides it seemed. "There is nothing normal about such a boy and Riser-sama shall deal with him without mercy or pity. Rias-sama will learn why she should have forfeited this Rating Game when our King beats the boy in front of her."

"Ara ara." Akeno moved further back as she lifted a hand to cover her giggling mouth, the bat-like Devil wings emerged from her back but didn't lift her into the air. "You two are so talkative."

"We know you don't stand a chance against us." Both attacked, speeds that weren't fitting to Rooks but Akeno moved faster.

She was a Queen after all.

She was behind the Rook in the cheongsam and her hands were filled with electricity as she wrapped her arms around her waist and lifted her into the air with the strength of a Rook. Riser's Rook struggled for only a moment before the lightning ripped through her and Akeno smiled at the writhing form locked in her arms. She struggled, tried to free herself with trembling hands, but the voltage from Akeno's hands only increased and she had no choice but to give up and scream. The Queen of the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess flew higher, avoided the stones thrown at her with enough force to knock her out the air.

"Release her!" She threw more stones, large chunks of the ground ripped free and hurled through the air. A barrier of flames engulfed Akeno as she flew higher into the air, avoided more projectiles as the Rook continued to scream in her grasp.

"You were so certain you could beat me, weren't you?" She whispered to the Rook as the electricity ceased, her limp body nearly nothing but dead weight the Queen could easily lift. "You were so certain I would fall to such a telegraphed attack, weren't you?" She couldn't help herself, the trembling form in her arms made bliss course through her body. "You should have planned better."

She released the Rook, let her slam into the ground where lightning and fire erupted from her.

"One of Riser Phenex's Rooks has been retired." The voice called out even as she shot down with the speed of a Knight, slammed into the sole remaining Rook with missile like force, and powered her back even as they hands locked together. The Rook tried to stand her ground but failed, she was powered back across the ground and her feet split the ground with a trench that was growing.

"You're stronger than you let on." Akeno now knew who was stronger. The Rook she was facing was probably only below Riser's Queen in raw power and had most likely been the field commander while the Queen remained with Riser. "I'm almost afraid of what you might do to me."

"You should be." She tried to stop herself once more, dig her feet into the ground, but Akeno was still a Queen. A Rook was strong but a Queen was faster, stronger, and simply more powerful in too many ways to count. She struggled while Akeno continued to push, continued to drag her across the ground.

"I'm almost afraid of what you could do to my King's other pieces." Akeno suddenly stopped. The Rook was surprised but immediately threw herself forward, tried to force the Queen to the ground to no avail. She tightened her hold on the Rook's hands and she winced as she forced them back, forced her to a knee as her feet touched down on the ground.

"You're still nothing compared to me." Electricity ripped through them both. The Rook was engulfed in agony, pale yellow lightning consuming her more and more as the seconds ticked by agonizingly slowly. She was reduced to only an existence of pain, an existence devoted solely to her own agony, and she could hardly scream anymore.

Akeno only smiled at the pain.

The Rook collapsed onto her back.

"Riser Phenex's other Rook has been retired." The voice called out as Akeno smiled down at her defeated foe, her twitching form consumed by light that marked transportation away from a Rating Game arena. She lifted herself into the air and began to fly away.

She needed to assist Yuuto and Koneko after all.

"Sword." Koneko leaped over Yuuto's fallen form even as the hilt of a Demon Sword, a massive two handed monstrosity, ripped forward from the ground near his feet. She took hold of the large handle with both hands and her feet touched the ground. her body formed a near perfect arch before she ripped the blade free.

More Demon Swords ripped free of the ground, formed a ring to keep the enemy Devils contained as ice that could chill the very soul flash froze a dome stronger than steel around them. The cold temperature let the air that escaped from their lungs show as Yuuto kipped up to his feet, a new Demon Sword in both hands. He could hardly stand but he refused to allow Koneko to fight the six Devils that had pursued them alone.

"His Sacred Gear is a problem." The armored Knight that had been disarmed very early on looked at him with some worry. Her fellow Knight nodded. Both looked to the Demon Swords in his hands and both charged him with speed he should have been able to outpace.

He was exhausted and wounded, momentarily attacked and pummeled by all six before Koneko had recovered from a blow to the back when they had initially caught up with them. He couldn't defend himself well but he didn't intend to.

He let them take the Demon Swords from his hands and rushed to cover, a wall of the same massive blade Koneko was making use of to keep the Promoted Pawns away forming in front of him. Koneko noticed and slammed her sword in front of her, embedding it into the ground.

Seconds later, hellfire consumed the two Knights.

"Riser Phenex's Knights have been retired." The voice called out even as the inferno still raged, soared upward as a mighty tower, and clashed against the frozen dome. The flames failed to bypass the thick ice, were forced to consume the inside of the dome instead. Water fell down onto his head, matted it down in moments, but Yuuto smiled regardless.

The battle had shifted to their favor at last.

Koneko attacked the Pawns with her massive blade while they stood in shock of what they had seen. They couldn't even scream as her blade cut through the air.

Two more fell.

A pair of fresh rapiers took hold of his hands, lightning engulfed him. He winced but threw himself forward and attacked.

The last two fell.

"Riser Phenex's four remaining Pawns have been retired." The voice sounded off as the two fell.

Yuuto gave a grim smile even as he collapsed. He was lucky Koneko was there to catch him. The ice dome dissolved around them, the swords vanishing from existence with their purpose complete.

"I wish I had managed my Demonic Power better now." Yuuto managed to smile at Koneko as the small Devil supported his weight. His body was exhausted, his hasty strategy showing its effects. "Rias-sama is going to be mad at me for wasting so much power."

"She will." Koneko didn't strain with his weight, she carried him with ease as her wings emerged from her back and she took to the air. "Let's go see her."

"R-Right." Yuuto forced his eyes to remain open, forced himself to remain in the Rating Game until the last possible moment.

'I have to stand by Rias's side for as long as I can.'

"Impressive." Sirzechs looked to where the two families watched the Rating Game, the fathers locking eyes as they both spoke at the same time.

"Your daughter's Peerage is quite impressive."

"Yes, she has good taste in members."

"This is getting bothersome." A separate screen continued to show where Issei was, buried underneath the school with King's Dragon easily supporting the weight with its armored arms. "I should have been up by now but this place just had to collapse." He closed his eyes as he threw his head back, one hand leaving his pocket to rest in his hair. "I can't help but feel I'm missing a lot while I'm stuck down here."

"The boy is less impressive." Riser's father, most of the Devils in the room in truth, looked to the human with barely disguised contempt. Sirzechs was glad for it. He would be sure to have a copy of the recording to look at when they all saw what Issei could truly do.

'Enough games Issei.' Sirzechs forced down his worry. 'My sister can't beat Riser. Do your job.'

"I need to get out of here." Issei's eyes snapped open. They were empty of anything, no light shined in those orbs. They were similar to a corpse or perhaps worse, corpses did not move at least. They did not move with such hollowness in their hearts with every action.

A green sphere engulfed him suddenly. King's Dragon vanished as Issei was lifted up from the ground, lifted through rubble that crumbled upon contact with the crackling energy that raced across the emerald surface of his shield.

'The Dragon Shield.' Sirzechs could identify the shield now. He had seen glimpses of it when he personally trained Issei and had begun to gather a healthy amount of caution towards what had to truly be the ultimate in defense. 'King's Dragon ability to manipulate all types of energy is devoted solely to the sphere around Issei and it excels. Any power used against him is turned into power for the sphere, any attack launched at him is consumed and redirected at Issei's leisure. No matter the energy, no matter the attack, King's Dragon can analyze it and replicate it with the Dragon Shield. Coupled with the Boosted Gear's power to double his strength and King's Dragon own tremendous might, Issei possesses a technique that is truly a terrifying combination.'

Issei continued to rise, the emerald sphere destroying all it touched with ease. It was familiar to Sirzechs only because shock had burned it forever into his memory.

'He can even replicate the Power of Destruction.'

Issei finally broke the surface and the sphere broke down, King's Dragon appearing behind him and dropping him to the ground as he yawned.

"Finally, I made it." Issei stood at the end of the hall, directly across from the Student Council room. "The place collapsed on top of me for me to get here but I might have luck on my side after all." King's Dragon moved behind him as he moved towards the door.

"Hmm?" Inside the Student Council room, Yubelluna looked to the door as she felt a strange power at it. "Excuse me for a moment Riser-sama." The King did not answer, he had fallen into deep thought when he had heard the announcement of nearly his entire Peerage being retired. They had utterly failed to defeat even a single of his future wife's Pieces. He was reworking his strategy it seemed.

"Hey." Knocking came from the door just as Yubelluna reached it. "Do I have to knock this thing down or something or are you going to answer?" The voice was unmistakable to the Queen, to the Bishop, and the King. The sole remaining Bishop let fear cross her face as she threw herself behind her suddenly standing brother. The Queen froze, looked to the King, and he gave a harsh nod.

She, the Devil given the title of "Bomb Queen", destroyed the door with an eruption. She unleashed a second, then a third, and finally a fourth blast larger than the other three put together before she paused and looked to the smoking doorway and ruined hallway. She saw nothing among the scorched debris, the smoke that hung in the air, and the flames that burned. She smiled.

Emerald light briefly shimmered through the smoke.

"ECHI!" King's Dragon surged forward without warning and struck her. She was thrown back and onto the table the Student Council would meet at, dazed eyes looking up at nothing.

"I wish you hadn't done that." Issei sighed as King's Dragon vanished from sight. "I was hoping to not have to do much fighting but I guess I was wrong." He stepped into the room through the ruined doorway. Flames shot towards him almost instantly as a fireball but King's Dragon batted them aside with its sudden reappearance.

"Riser Phenex." Issei didn't need to say his name but felt like it as he caught sight of the Devil. He looked at the blonde Devil across from him and sighed. "I'm going to have to beat you if I want to get my life back on track so let's get this over with. I've been dying to sleep in my own bed for almost a month now."

"W-" King's Dragon's armored hand threw him out the window via a blow to his face. Issei strode towards the shattered glass, not bothering to spare the two other Devils in the room a glance. He had already defeated one and the other wasn't a threat. The one on the table tried to attack him with the same explosion that had consumed the hallway but King's Dragon was in front of her, crushed her hand in an armored grip, and slammed her head through the solid table with the other curled into a fist.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" It pummeled her, forced her body through the floor, and sent her crashing down and through the levels of the school below. "ECHI!" It drew one fist up before it struck straight down and unleashed an emerald beam that lanced through her chest before she could rise.

"Riser Phenex's Queen has been retired." The voice was numb with shock but still professional enough not to stumble over their words. The source had a right to be as no one had expected to see a Queen defeated with such ease. The human that had done so only yawned, raising a hand from his pocket to his open mouth to cover it.

"Are you going to do the same?" Issei didn't continue forward. He stopped but didn't look back at the younger Devil. He could hear her shaking actually, knew the fear she felt without even bothering to look at her. She was numb with shock, frozen thanks to her terror at the power before her. It was truly only a matter of time before she took one of two actions and he wanted one more than he wanted the other. "Forfeit if you don't want me to have to do the same to you."

No words came. He sighed.

"Alright then." King's Dragon threw itself forward with emerald light flashing from its fist. Riser's flaming form flew back in through the shattered window and intercepted it. Issei's eyes actually widened at the heat of the flames as King's Dragon pulled him out of the way. He quickly schooled his features. "King's Dragon."

A green sphere engulfed him without another moment wasted, the same green sphere that had engulfed him below the school but it lacked the crackling energy. He couldn't take any more chances. King's Dragon would be preoccupied for the most part and he couldn't risk losing the advantage just to have it defend him from a surprise attack.

"How dare you try to touch my sister." Riser glanced to the girl and Issei's eye twitched.

'Why do I keep attacking the family of powerful people?' This was the second time he had enraged an opponent over something like that. First Sirzechs with Grayfia and now Riser with, from her appearance, he had to have just attacked his little sister.

"I'm not the one who brought her into this." Issei was resolute, determined not to take the blame for this one. "You should have known better than to bring your sister here, endanger her safety with the power of your opponents and even yourself. With your power, you could hurt her just as easily as I could if you forgot she was here, let yourself be consumed by the heat of battle." Issei pointed a finger of accusation at the Devil across from him. Said Devil's glare was matched with eyes that held only cold analysis at the sight in front of them. "There is only one conclusion as to why you brought her here and it is simple: You must truly hate her to expose her to the terrors of a battlefield like this." At Riser's disbelieving look, even if his hatred remained, Issei dropped his hand and shrugged his shoulders. "It's not my fault if she gets hurt even if I target her." He ignored the growing rage on the Devil's face, ignored it with ease bordering on contempt. "Age, race, gender, none of it matters to me right now. You could have brought your grandparents here if you wanted and I'll beat them the same way I plan to do to you. Bring your dog, bring your mother, you could even bring out a newborn fresh from his mother's womb and I still wouldn't care. Whatever protected them in the normal world is gone when I stand across from them here. It's replaced only with two simple ideas: the enemy and the ally. If you are an enemy, you are to be destroyed. If you are an ally, you are to be preserved. It's as simple as that. If you can't understand that, it's not my problem or my concern."

"Don't look at me like that Riser Phenex and tell your sister do the same if you care for her so much despite being so foolish." Issei grew tired of the shock that had spread on both of their faces. "You fully intend to do the same to me, would do the same to my family if they were your enemy, and I only aim to return the favor to a Devil like you. If you were stupid enough to bring someone you cared for into this battle, be unprepared to lose them to the might of your enemies, and then be insane enough to question an enemy attacking one so important yet so weak, you aren't as smart as I thought you were. All I've been told about your tactical genius must be nothing but a lie you or your family has spread to others to hide how much of an idiot you really are."

Issei struck a nerve with those words. Power erupted around the Devil he had just insulted. An inferno rose to do his bidding and Issei's eyes narrowed as he saw the younger Devil stand within the inferno, unperturbed by the heat that would have made him sweat if not for the barrier around him.

'Ravel Phenex.' Sirzechs had told him of the members of Riser's Peerage and she was one of the most recent additions. She was his younger sister, inducted for reasons he didn't care to know and so didn't care to ask Sirzechs when he told them all. She was an enemy and would be defeated. That was all Issei cared for.

A Devil, no matter their form, was still a Devil after all.

"King's Dragon." He spoke the name of his Stand and it surged forward.

"ECHIECHICHIECHI!" Riser seemed surprised at the armored warrior's speed, unable to respond to any of the blows sent against him and sent crashing through his inferno and through a handful of walls before coming to a stop. He wouldn't be incapacitated for long.

"I'm going to test your regeneration now Riser Phenex." Issei wished he didn't wear his school uniform to the Rating Game now. It was very hot with the fires around him, it made him sweat, made the clothes cling to his skin in ways he was not comfortable having to deal with. "Attack me now or I'll attack your sister."

The Devil let out a grasp when King's Dragon swept her up by the front of her dress in one armored hand and drew the other back. She looked to him, panicked, and her pleas to stop, to reconsider, died before they left her mouth. The way he looked at her, as an object to be used above all else, showed precisely what she was to him. Fires engulfed her instead and Issei rose an eyebrow at the sight.

'Family magic then?' He had King's Dragon throw her into the charging Riser as he moved back towards the shattered window. King's Dragon looked to him and he nodded. A number of green platforms were created for him to step down. King's Dragon hovered at his shoulder as he did so. His feet touched the ground and the platforms reshaped themselves. They shot back into King's Dragon as green spheres. Issei began walking across the schoolyard. 'Both have the same type of regeneration then. She probably doesn't have the same level as him but it's probably enough to be a pain, let her come back from things that'll put Rias and any of her Peerage down so I can't make this easy on them.'

Issei sighed as the school turned into an inferno behind him. He could feel the heat, King's Dragon ripped the debris that almost rained down on him to pieces with its blows, and he turned around to see the sight of Riser and Ravel shooting forward on wings of fire.

'These two are definitely brother and sister.' They both held the same hate for him in their eyes. He sighed as he slid his hands into his pocket. King's Dragon brought its fists together with a sound akin to thunder. Green energy enshrouded its form in an emerald aura before it launched itself forward with a shout.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" It ripped into both with its energy clad fists, blades of energy ripped forward, sprouted from their backs with each impact of the Stand's armored fists. Issei looked on with nothing in his eyes as Ravel fell first, powered into the air with an uppercut that unleashed a blade through her skull. Fires consumed her body now, would no doubt be healing her, just as an inferno surged forward on the fists of Riser Phenex. He was angry at the state his sister had been left in regardless of its lack of permanence. He wanted to hurt him for hurting his sister and would do so.

King's Dragon's fist clashed with his one of his own, an inferno roared against a blast of emerald light. Neither proved victorious before King's Dragon drew back and Issei lifted one hand free of his pockets. Power surrounded his arm and the Boosted Gear appeared.

"Boost." The gauntlet sounded off. Issei's eyes didn't widen or narrow when Riser's face widened with shock. "Boost."

The gauntlet continued to sound off as King's Dragon made use of the opportunity given by its appearance to deliver a flurry of blows to Riser Phenex.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" King's Dragon excelled with single opponents, able to devote itself entirely to the obliteration of the threat. It could prioritize pure offense over any defense this way. It also helped Issei had made use of his Dragon Shield from the very beginning of his confrontation with Riser.

He saw Ravel recover, an inferno burst to life in her hands before it was fired forward as a flaming torrent. He was unconcerned with it. Riser Phenex was occupied with King's Dragon and King's Dragon was occupied with Riser Phenex. He was sure he would hit the limit of his regeneration given time and he had plenty of it. The fires unleashed by Ravel washed over him but they only made the barrier around him shine brighter. It was a dull green compared to the bright emerald it now was. Ravel looked at him in shock before Issei extended his hand towards her.

"Dragon Shot." He missed but the explosion was massive. She avoided direct contact with the sphere but she didn't stand a chance of escaping the explosion.

'I'm lucky I can store power in the Boosted Gear.' It was a wonderful thing to fall asleep with the Boosted Gear active, funnel all of that power into the Sacred Gear to be used later. 'With the risk it runs to me if I use the Boost to much, King's Dragon automatically funnels the energy my body can't handle back to it and it absorbs it with the gem. I can hardly Boost a solid dozen times. Two minutes. After that, King's Dragon takes over and shunts the power back to the Boosted Gear. The Boosted Gear keeps doubling my maximum power and King's Dragon keeps pouring it back into the Boosted Gear. An endless cycle until I wake up. The only problem is how the damn thing sounds off 'Boost' every ten seconds and I'm stuck trying to go to sleep through it.'

"So, that's the power of a Longinus like the Boosted Gear?" Riser moved away from King's Dragon and the Stand did not pursue him. It instead moved in front of Issei, crossed its armored arms, and waited for the battle between itself and the Devil to continue. The human didn't have any reason to answer the Devil's question so didn't bother with responding. "Impressive."

"Dragon Shot." An inferno surged forward, created a shield around the two Devils, and the Dragon Shot struck the ground at their feet. A shower of dirt was thrown into the air, thrown over the fire and Issei's opponents.

'It's always best to suffocate fires.' Issei didn't need to direct King's Dragon, it struck the air and unleashed a sphere from each of its knuckles that raced forward through the air. Riser saw them all coming of course, could feel their power, but he thought his flames were stronger.

They were strong to stop the first few dozen but King's Dragon unleashed hundreds. It continued to strike the air, continued to unleash the destructive spheres, and Riser's flames roared against them. Ravel noticed and flames surged around her, formed a new layer to the barrier.

Brother and sister were united against him.

"Dragon Shot." Issei added his own nearly titanic blasts in comparison to the barrage. Three emerald spheres flew forward from his raised palm and erupted around Riser and Ravel. The younger Devil screamed at the sudden explosions and Issei allowed King's Dragon to surge forward as he pushed himself forward. "Dragon Shot." He fired again and hoped his aim was correct.

"Ravel!" He was accurate. Ravel's form was thrown from the inferno as Riser let loose a roar as power gathered in front of him as he threw his arms out to the side before bringing them together in front of him. Fires soared forward, took on the shape of a phoenix, and King's Dragon reappeared in front of Issei as he continued forward.

"ECHI!" It formed a barrier with one hand before striking it with the other, sending it forward and slamming into the flaming copy of the mythical bird. The barrier wrapped around it, took it on as a sphere as Issei ignored it as King's Dragon picked him up, flew faster with the power he funneled to it from the Boosted Gear.

'Damn.' Riser saw him, knew where he was heading, but was preoccupied with the attack that had been turned against him. The sphere surged towards him with a blow from King's Dragon sending it forward, and he saw his flames be condensed as it shrunk from its massive size to something no bigger than a baseball. 'I need to stop it.' He couldn't control the flames anymore, couldn't force them to dissipate or expand, and knew what would happen when the sphere touched anything.

It would rupture and create an inferno like no other. It would be like the sun as the flames shifted to a blazing emerald. Riser threw his hands forward, a magic circle appearing on each of his palms before they merged and he drew them back. Fires surged forward, split into three streams coming from the sides and above, and a central fireball ripped through the air. He immediately threw himself towards Ravel, flaming wings forming on his back and adding to his speed. He was a High-class Pureblooded Devil, a Devil with the potential to be the next Satan if he was to achieve the Ultimate-class status, and he refused to have his sister hurt by the human charging towards her.

"King's Dragon." The Stand broke away from Issei and charged towards him. An emerald sphere continued to consume Issei as he broke into a run, aided by the power of the Boosted Gear. Ravel was still airborne from his throw and had frozen up.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" King's Dragon clashed with Riser, his fire backed blows matched and exceeded by the Stand. He struggled to keep pace, to keep moving forward, but the Stand was beginning to force him back, force him into a stalemate that he couldn't escape from.

Issei reached Ravel, snatched her out of the air with an emerald chain fired from underneath the Boosted Gear.

"Transfer."

The emerald barrier shattered before reforming around her. It shimmered and Ravel screamed as she was lifted into the air.

Issei immediately called King's Dragon back to him. Riser charged forward and Ravel screamed again when emerald lances ripped through her body from the sphere around her.

"I've transferred one of my attacks to your sister." Issei didn't really need to state the obvious but he did. "I know you can regenerate so it'll be a pain to beat you so I've decided to try something else." Ravel screamed when lightning coursed down the lances, ripped across her body. "Your sister has the same regeneration as you but I doubt it's at the same level. You're a lot stronger than her so you can probably take a lot more physical punishment than she ever could." She screamed when the lances began to widen, flames coursed down her body as her regeneration kicked in. Issei turned a pair of bored eyes to her as the sphere shimmered once more. A blade ripped through her skull. "I figure one of two things will happen." Issei held up one finger on the hand not covered by the Boosted Gear. "One, I keep that up until her regeneration is over with and she retires from the game." Issei held up a second finger as emerald flames consumed the sphere, their roaring louder than Ravel's screams. "Two, you, the caring older brother, forfeits the Rating Game to spare your sister her fate."

Issei dropped his hand back to his side and locked eyes with Riser. Ravel's screams returned as the fires died down, allowed her to regenerate partially, before they surged forward again. The lances receded as the flames died down once more, allowed Ravel to regenerate partially once more before the fires rushed to consume her once more. She screamed again, louder with mostly repaired vocal chords.

"I know this is a hard choice for a Devil like you, a creature so filled with pride." Issei dropped his hand back into his pocket as he drew up the hand that the Boosted Gear covered. "I'll help you come to a decision faster."

"You w-" Issei laid a hand on the sphere.

"Gift." He gave the sphere more of his power before Riser could finish. The flames completely consumed Ravel as her screams ended. Riser charged forward with a roar but King's Dragon met him in front of Issei, its armored fist stopping his flaming hands.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Riser struggled to bypass the defense of King's Dragon to no avail. Power surged around him, Demonic Power that dwarfed many in the Underworld, and he roared with his rage. His flames burned hotter, grew brighter and brighter, and he burned through such great Demonic Power.

'Good, keep doing that.' The fearsome power of his flames was completely useless against King's Dragon. It matched his blows before it depleted him of his power, took it for itself, and prepared to attack with it. Issei's eyes turned to the shaking form within the repurposed Dragon Shield. 'I'll keep doing this until his power falls enough.' He was sweating but didn't let it worry him, simply pushed more of the power of the Boosted Gear out and allowed it to consume him. His body cooled thanks to it, was protected from the growing and growing heat as red hot flames began to turn into something new, something far more powerful.

His flames were slowly becoming white.

The air itself began to burn, the ground he stood on turned molten before it began to turn into nothingness, and soon even King's Dragon found itself facing the ordeal of the flames.

'Damn.' Issei looked at his unarmored arm as it began to redden, King's Dragon's fist becoming enshrouded in burning green flames of energy far earlier than he intended. 'I didn't think this Riser guy could bring the heat up this much.' Issei looked to the trembling form inside the sphere. 'I need to speed this up.'

Ravel's screams as his emerald flames engulfed her made Riser's rage grow, made his power engulf him in a wasteful aura, and it continued to burn as King's Dragon continued to match the Devil blow for blow. It was growing trying but it continued to do so.

'More rage.' Issei allowed a multitude of emerald blades to turn Ravel into a pincushion without regret. She gave out a scream he cut short when flames burned around her neck, nearly decapitated her before the fires stopped. 'He needs to be angrier.'

"I never knew you Devils could be so weak." Ravel's screams ran under his words, his voice was louder solely because the Boosted Gear allowed him to speak at volumes he would normally only be able to obtain with a megaphone. "Your sister is screaming in pain and you can't seem to be able to save her. You can't bypass my King's Dragon no matter what you try. Its defense is absolute."

Emerald flames burned her limbs off, let her scream freely as they left her throat alone to regenerate. He may have also increased their volume by funneling the Boosted Gear's stored power to her vocal chords. He was getting tired of the heat and wanted this over with soon.

"I th-" He didn't understand what was happening as he suddenly doubled over, blood coming from his mouth.

He looked up and saw Riser with his fist embedded in King's Dragon stomach. He, thankfully, hadn't broken the armor but the blow was still agonizing. If he and King's Dragon didn't have auras of energy around them, he had no doubt he would be dead via incineration.

Riser noticed his state and his other hand flew forward. King's Dragon withdrew, vanished from sight as Issei dropped to a knee. He spit out a mouthful of blood and turned watery eyes up to Riser. The sphere around Ravel condensed the moment he took a step forward.

He stopped.

Issei spit out another mouthful of blood.

"I was too easy on you." Issei's eyes were empty as he looked from Riser to Ravel. "I was too easy on both of you Devils and underestimated you." He forced himself to rise back to his feet. "I shouldn't have given you the choice." The sphere condensed further but no further attack came. Ravel was allowed to fully regenerate. She fell to the bottom of the sphere, sobs shaking her body. "If you don't give up, I'm going to just kill your sister later."

"What?" Riser was shocked. He was truly and completely shock at the blatant threat to a family as powerful as the Phenex.

"You heard me." Issei allowed the barrier to break down, return to him. "I'm done playing this your way." He stepped back, allowed the Boosted Gear to vanish. "I'll play it the human way." He stepped further back as his Dragon Shield covered him. "I'll be petty, I'll be cruel, and I'll be a monster when I find her. I'll take my time with killing her, use her regeneration to carve up her body over days. I'll burn her, let her recover, give her my power, and then start cutting her to pieces. I'll figure out a way to drag it on for months if I have to and make her beg for death when I finally get bored of her." His hands were in his pockets as he locked eyes with Riser and the Devil knew he was speaking the truth. They were empty like an abyss, showed no hint of falsehoods. He was speaking the truth and only the truth. "Your family's regeneration is powerful but it won't last forever, it can't last forever because it relies on your power and all of you only have so much. You have plenty of power so you can regenerate a lot. Your sister has a lot of power so she can regenerate a lot."

Issei smiled. It was a cruel thing.

"I have the power to kill Gods." He didn't need to show the Boosted Gear or summon King's Dragon. "There is no doubt that I WILL succeed and you'll be the sole guy responsible for pissing me off so much because you wouldn't forfeit." Issei yawned and it was perhaps more disturbing than his threat. Knowing he was completely at ease despite the white hot flames consuming Riser, the power his opponent had shown, was incredibly disturbing. "So, what do you say Riser Phenex?"

The Devil looked to Ravel's flaming form, her body repairing itself with the sphere gone. She was trembling on the ground, curled up into a ball, and his fires died. The fight in him died at the sight of his sister. He wanted to do nothing more than challenge Issei, to kill him for saying such things, but he stopped himself.

The emptiness in his eyes was too much of a promise.

He had to keep his sister safe.

"I retire."

"R-Riser Phenex has retired. Rias Gremory wins."


	5. Chapter 5

"Ah…it's good to be back home." Issei immediately fell onto his bed and hit the floor. He dimly remembered that Rias had taken it and replaced it, and he had destroyed the replacement. "I wish I had my bed." He sighed from where he laid on the floor. He didn't have the energy to rise back up and do something about it. He settled for falling asleep on the floor instead of moving.

He was tired. Too tired to be bothered with the fact he was resting on the wooden floor of his room. He hardly cared that the floor was cold. He could live with it. Sleep mattered more than anything at the moment and he would have it or die trying.

'I hate Devils.' His hate had never wavered. He still hated Devils for what they were and that wouldn't change anytime soon. He didn't hate them nearly as much as the thing that had shot him all those years ago, it wasn't even close to the same level, but he still hated them.

Issei let his eyes slip close on the floor. He didn't care about his own comfort, just the chance to finally rest in a familiar place was good enough. His breathing evened itself out and he let out a pleased sigh.

"This is perfect." He was drifting off.

Life was perfect right now.

"Lord Phenex, Lord Gremory, I didn't expect either of you until tomorrow." Sirzechs look up from the paperwork that came with the title of Lucifer. He rose from his chair and offered his hand to both Devils, each of the two an acting head of one of the remaining 72 Pillars. "We agreed to discuss the outcome of the Rating Game then, correct?"

"This business concerns what happened during the Rating Game between my son and your sister Lucifer." Lord Phenex shook his hand with strength that would have shattered the hands of most other Devils. But to an Ultimate-class Devil like himself it was nothing. It showed on his face, the complete lack of reaction showed how much stronger a Devil that had gained the title of one of the Four Satan had to be to not only claim the title but to also maintain it.

"Then let's not waste any time with formalities." Lucifer returned to his seat, rested his elbows on the armrest of the chair and interlocked his fingers in front of him. "This concerns the actions of Issei Hyoudou towards your daughter Ravel Phenex, correct Lord Phenex?" He was answered with a stiff nod. "I can understand why you feel angry. I would feel the same if Millicas was threatened in her place. I have no doubt the other Maou would be forced to restrain me lest I attack him."

"Then you understand why I am here then Sirzechs." Lord Phenex didn't take the offered seat. "Lord Gremory is here to act as my witness. I want to challenge the boy, Issei Hyoudou."

"I'm afraid I can't grant that request Lord Phenex." Sirzechs wished he could but the mark on his hand had pulsed, given its warning to him, the moment the words had left Lord Phenex's mouth. The heat in the room skyrocketed but it was nothing to either red haired Devil in the room.

"You heard what he said Sirzechs!" Lord Phenex's Demonic Power was pulsing through the air, hardly restrained as Lord Gremory stood at his side. The Devil's rage was enough to nearly make flames burst from his fist as he slammed it down on the table. "He threatened to torture my daughter to death if he lost, forced my son to forfeit the Rating Game to protect her. How can you stand by him after such a thing? How can you deny me my right to bring the boy back to the Underworld and challenge him? How can you deny the Phenex family the right to answer such threats against them?"

"Issei competed in the Rating Game because of a contract between the two of us due to a personal debt he owed to me." Sirzechs looked to his gloved hands, concealing the mark that had not yet vanished as he had not fulfilled his end of the deal. "The clause for his victory demanded that I prevent any Devils from meddling in his life. I am held to that fact and as such cannot grant you the right to bring him back to the Underworld. If I allow it, I will break the contract I've made with Issei."

"Lord Phenex, Lucifer's hands are tied in this matter." Lord Gremory laid a hand on a burning hot shoulder. He was lucky it was not truly burning. The fire of the older Phenex burned far hotter than any of his sons, than his daughter. They didn't burn, more than they erased like the Bael's Power of Destruction. "We must approach another Satan with this business."

"That will work." Lucifer turned away from the two, focused on the paperwork on his desk. "I've done all I can to stop you by denying your request, I can't command the other Satans to do the same. If you voice your case to them, they might allow you to bring Issei Hyoudou back to the Underworld."

"And this doesn't violate the terms of your contract?" Lord Gremory kept his hand on Lord Phenex's shoulder, kept him from lashing out at one of the Maous.

"I've done all I can for Issei." Sirzechs did not look up from his paperwork. "I disagreed with how he won, can't say I'm not happy Rias won't have to marry Riser, but I can't stand by him anymore that I already have while knowing he would willingly do such a thing to a girl like your daughter Ravel." He snapped his pen. "I wanted my sister free to live her life but, the way he went about it, the way he forced Riser to give up, is sickening to me. I can hardly stand knowing I put so much faith in a boy who could be so cruel to a little girl. If I knew he had such a plan, trust me when I say I would have refused to have him fight for Rias. I would have found some other way, done anything else to stop that."

"You already offered your title of Lucifer to Riser to get him to accept letting a human take part in the Rating Game, what else could you have done?" Lord Gremory and Lord Phenex looked to Sirzechs for an answer but none came. He only sighed.

"I have no idea but I would have discovered something. Anything to prevent what happened to your daughter Ravel, Lord Phenex. Trust me when I say I would have done whatever I needed to stop such a thing from happening." Sirzechs would not look away from the papers on his desk. His hand seemed to automatically toss the ruined pen away and draw up a new one. "I wish I could have stopped it, wish I had known Issei was so twisted to threaten your family with your daughter's life, and wish I had the foresight not to allow him to fight for Rias."

"I will take your word for it Lucifer." Lord Phenex turned away from the desk. "I will take this matter up with the other Maou and present my case to them. I will return to you with my demand once more when my business with the other Maou is finished."

"I wish you the best of luck Lord Phenex." Sirzechs began his paperwork once more. "I will be busy with my work for a very long time."

Once the door to his office had shut and both Lord Phenex and Lord Gremory had left to elsewhere, Sirzechs allowed a chuckle to escape him. His chuckle soon lapsed into full blown laughter and he threw his pen aside as he leaned back in his chair. He laughed until tears came from his eyes, until it began to hurt, and he continued to life even when the door opened.

"You seem happier than usual Lucifer-sama. I thought you detested paperwork like this." Grayfia entered the room, a small smile on her face. The door was shut with her heel, a red seal burning on the back of it for a moment before it faded from sight.

"I couldn't help but laugh when those two brought it." Lucifer smiled as his wife moved around his desk, forgoing any chair in favor of his lap. "I could care less for Phenex's daughter but they think I'm trapped by my word with Issei now." He lifted a gloved hand up, took it off with his other hand. The mark still shined but it was muted, its power caged with the power that not only gave him the classification of Ultimate-class Devil but the title of Lucifer. "I could have destroyed this thing the moment it formed but the longer people think I can't get involved the more trouble they'll cause for the bastard who hit you."

"I feel so loved Sirzechs." Grayfia's smile turned into something else. "You should be rewarded."

A new seal appeared on each wall, let no sound enter or exit the room.

Issei was awoken by knocking on his door.

"Issei." The voice of Asia came from the other side as the doorknob slowly turned. "Someone is here to meet you."

"Now?" Issei didn't want to stand up. He hardly cared enough to lift his head enough to look towards the door, catch sight of the blonde haired nun that poked her head into the open doorway. "Can't it wait a few more hours? A day?"

"Nope." The door was flung open by a man dressed in a redcoat. Asia drew back from the doorway as the man strode into the room without a single care in the world. Issei immediately didn't like the man who was walking towards him. "You're lucky I'm even here to meet you kid."

"Who are you?" Issei let his head fall onto the ground once more. He refused to keep it up any longer and let his eyes closed. "What do you want anyway?"

"My little minions didn't tell you who I was?" The man almost seemed hurt that Issei didn't know who he was. Issei wasn't looking so didn't see it. "I'm their glorious winner, the Governor General of the Grigori and Fallen Angels, and the genius that been behind the Fallen Angel's for century after century. I'm the first Fallen Angel, the Angel that dared to lead others in tasting the pleasures of the flesh against God's wishes. I've had hundreds of harems spanning all ages of the globe."

Bright lights made Issei open his eyes with a near pained groan and see the Fallen Angel in front of him with his twelve wings spread, backlit by shining lights, and golden sparks came from above his head and cascaded down around him.

"Are you serious?" Issei looked at the Fallen Angel before him, the Fallen Angels that held the lights behind him, and the Fallen Angel that held some device over his head that produced the golden sparks.

"Completely." The Fallen Angel seemed proud of his accomplishment even as the lights were turned off and the golden sparks stopped falling. The Fallen Angels that had taken part in his entrance reacted with nothing but indifference as Issei remained on the floor. The Fallen Angel strode forward and offered a hand to the human. "The name's Azazel."

"Issei Hyoudou." The human took the offered hand.

"ECHI!" King's Dragon burst to life as a spear of light was suddenly in the other hand, thrust towards his chest. The Stand blocked the weapon with its armored fist smashing the head to bits. An armored hand moved to grab Azazel by the front of the coat he wore but was stopped when it was forced to stop another spear of light from the same hand. Azazel released Issei's hand and his eyes shined with a dangerous curiosity as he looked at the armored warrior.

"So this is your Stand?" Azazel stood in the room with no fear as Issei slowly sat up, scowling at the fact he would be moving from the floor that had grown more and more comfortable the longer he laid on it. The Fallen Angel didn't seem to care about his irritation and settled for examining King's Dragon with a scientific eye. He looked it up and down, took note of each individual piece of armor it seemed, before finally locking his eyes with the green lenses.

"Impressive." He wasn't awed or stunned with what he had seen, he was amused. There was a smile on his face as he met the glowing gaze of King's Dragon, unblinking and unmoving. "I've never seen power like yours before but I've seen plenty of creatures like this one before. Other Sacred Gear users I have the Grigori go and recruit and recover but there's never been a documented case of a Longinus class Sacred Gear undergoing the process. Most others actually have multiple instances, time between them of course but multiple instances. All of them carry the same core power as well if with slight variations. I was recently studying an old case of a few Twice Critical users. I compared the most recent user to two others in the past when I saw something a bit strange. The power of one of the past users developed like yours, a vaguely humanoid creature that could double its power. The other was rather strange. It could double objects around it such as double the weight of trees, double the amount of water, overall very interesting to look into even in just the research reports. A shame he vanished before I had a chance to meet him face to face. The most recent user developed something that was almost a combination of the two, a humanoid creature that could double either itself or objects it could physically touch. I heard she kept bullets on her as this was fairly recently, a hundred to a hundred fifty years ago, and would have it double them in midair. Turned herself into a walking and talking shotgun." A sigh escaped the Fallen Angel, his eyes never leaving King's Dragon but fondness came to them. "She disappeared a couple decades ago. Never got a chance to…Ah, I'm rambling."

His eyes were blank. Carefully blank.

"But yours?" Azazel suddenly strode forward, Issei felt himself drawn up to his feet by the strength of the supernatural being. "You really are something else. I saw that Rating Game you put on, saw the real training you did with Sirzechs Lucifer himself, and I'm impressed with you kid." Azazel took hold of his shoulders, a grin spreading across his face. "What do you think about letting me run a few experiments on this power of yours Issei? Nothing invasive like blood or poking around in that head of yours, they'll be nothing beyond stress tests and such. They'll take a week at most if you want them all lumped together."

"Do I really have a choice?" Issei's response was met with a grin from one of the most powerful supernatural beings in the world.

"I'm not cruel. I wouldn't force you to do anything you didn't want to after kidnapping you, I swear." Azazel stepped back and headed towards the door. Issei's eyes followed him. "You should come downstairs once you get yourself together, I've been clueing your parents into what you've been up to recently and they really want to talk to you."

"Dammit…" Issei stumbled towards his dresser. "Why can't this just be a day for sleeping?"

Azazel mocked him with his laughter as he left.

Issei grabbed a handful of clothes, hardly conscious of what was in his hand beyond that he had gotten all he needed, and stumbled out the door to the bathroom. He hit the door with his shoulder and groaned when it refused to open. He glared at it with eyes that wanted to be close as he slept and received no answer. Only mocking silence from the door that did its best to taunt him. He was tempted to break it down with King's Dragon but thought better of it. He forced himself to use his free hand to turn the doorknob and stumble inside.

He was on autopilot when he turned on the shower, let the water heat up before he stepped inside.

'Stupid Fallen Angels waking me up.' He threw his fresh clothes somewhere and all but tore off his dirty uniform. He really did regret wearing it to fight in the Rating Game now. It was covered in dirt, sweat, singed slightly, and was overall tattered. 'Stupid Devils making me fight.' He threw the shirt onto the floor and turned to the sink.

"And the fucking Arrow that shot me in the first place." He didn't know why he looked into the mirror hanging there, why he didn't stop his eyes from traveling down to his arm. He should have stopped it but he didn't. He should have had King's Dragon flip the mirror but he didn't.

He took in the twisted skin, the pulsing veins that had been twisted when the Arrow had shot him. He had memorized every detail already but he still looked at the scar. He felt the Arrow pierce his skin, the arrowhead warp and twist within. His heart quickened, began to hammer in his chest. It was like thunder to him, the blood roaring in his ears. He was back there. He was screaming. His body was on fire. His arm was so warm, so, so warm. The Arrow twisted, began to move. It sank into his skin, broke bone, split muscle, it moved further and further up his arm. It twisted his body out of the way, made his screams grow louder the further it went. It was entirely gone, kept in his body. He wanted to scream but now he couldn't.

The Arrow ripped through his shoulder. It pierced his neck with laughable ease and painful slowness. It forced its way back in, down his throat. He could no longer scream, could only let the pain consume him. He felt the cold arrowhead reach his heart.

It forced itself through. Forced itself to shatter, let his heart pump the toxic pain through his body. Let his entire body, let ever cell, burn. Burn. Burn. BURN!

His arm pulsed. He was back in the present. His arm pulsed. He looked down to where his hands had gripped the sink. He forced his fingers away, forced them to settle at his side. He didn't wipe away the sweat from his face, didn't look back in the mirror.

He looked at his arm. Let the pain focus him, let the pain that never left show itself once more.

The Arrow was still there. The Arrow would always be there so it always hurt.

He took a deep breath, took another. He took three more before he felt he had himself under control at last.

He stepped into the scorching hot shower. It was too cold. It was never hot enough for him, doubly so now. Steam filled the room, fogged the mirror, the steam moved through the room, moved out into the hall from underneath the door. It turned the room into a sauna but it still wasn't hot enough.

"Your son takes long showers." Azazel sat with the Boosted Gear user's parents in the kitchen, glancing to the clock on the wall. "It's been almost an hour since I talked to him and he's still in there." He looked to both adults. "Is your son handling other 'business' up there or something?"

"Don't speak about my son like that." Issei's mother glared at the supernatural being across from her. He waggled his eyebrows at her, his smile since coming down the stairs never dropping. She hated him for it. Her cup, empty, cracked in her hand.

"I'm not insulting him Ayame-chan." Azazel leaned back in his chair, his hands coming up to link together above his head as he stretched. They settled behind his head once he was done. "We've got to admit, he's a teenage boy. He's been around beautiful women for the past month. He's got to have some build up from it all."

"My Issei wouldn't care for those things." Azazel rose an eyebrow at her choice of words. His features were quickly schooled.

"Things? That's a bit harsh Ayame-chan." Azazel knew the '-chan' bit angered them both. He intentionally used it. "They may be Devils, they're even my enemies, but I wouldn't go as far to call them that. I'm trying to keep the peace between the Three Factions after all."

"Those things took my son for me for a month." Ayame actually broke the cup this time. She didn't seem to notice. Her husband took hold of her hands, made sure she wasn't hurt. "He's already been hurt enough, more than any boy his age should have ever been, and now those monsters are after him. They want to make him into nothing but a slave and..."

"Issei's tough dear. He'll make it through this." Her husband laid a hand on her shoulder, the other taking hold of one of her own.

"Dohnaseek probably told you two about the Grigori while Issei was away, correct?" Azazel let his hands fall onto the table. At both their nods he continued. "Issei shouldn't have to deal with the Devils for much longer, the Grigori are powerful enough for the Devils to take the hint and leave him alone. He's lucky actually that Dohnaseek got word to me so quickly. I contacted Leviathan and explained the situation to her. She'll be responsible for making sure the Devils get the message and don't touch your son."

"So what do you want?" Ayame's husband looked to him with guarded eyes. Azazel smirked at him.

"Do you really have to ask me that? I'm a scientist at heart Tobi. Your son has something known as a Stand and he's the first one to develop one from a Longinus class Sacred Gear." Azazel's eyes gained an almost mad light to them. "I want to see what such power contributes to. I've analyzed Sacred Gears and the Stands they've produced before and I've never seen one as powerful as his. A Longinus already has the power to kill what you would consider Gods, are rare enough already that any that come up are immediately searched for by the Three Factions, and you both saw what he could do in the Rating Game recording." He saw Tobi nod, saw Ayame do the same and he continued. "I've studied Sacred Gears ever since I was old enough to understand what they were and I've studied Stands since they popped up a few centuries after the Great War. I've never seen or heard of a case like your son and it is unbelievably exciting to a scientist like me. I've studied hundreds of Sacred Gears, compared the Stands of the users of the same Sacred Gears, and charted evolutionary line after evolutionary line but I've never been able to study a Longinus like his before. The Stand he has, King's Dragon, should be a Tenth, Eleventh Generation iteration from the same Sacred Gear that's closest to the Boosted gear but it's a First Generation."

"You know a lot about this." Tobi spoke a fact and Azazel nodded, the madness left his eyes and was replaced with something more charming, something to put them at ease despite their worries, calm them down despite their worry for their son.

"Of course I do. I've kept it from the other Factions and I intend to keep it as such. I'll write off Issei's Stand as a second Sacred Gear. It's frankly rare but it's certainly not unheard of for a single human to possess two Sacred Gears that simply click together. I know there's one similar to it and I'll make sure everyone believes that's the case." Azazel looked up to the ceiling as he heard the shower stop. He turned his eyes back to the parents of Issei Hyoudou a second later. "I don't intend for your son to be hurt if I can help it. Kuoh is Devil territory but I'll keep a team of Fallen Angels at the old church they're already residing in. Dohnaseek will be in charge of them and he'll be the one to go to if you have any concerns." His eyes darkened. "A piece of advice, trust nothing from the dark haired one with the big chest, Rayanare. She's…she's a bit off kilter." He sighed and the darkness was gone just as quickly as it had arrived. "I don't know what's got her so obsessed with me, beyond the heavenly good looks, but she's taking it farther and farther. I can't ignore her when she's the favorite pet of one of my top men, Kokabiel, and he keeps sending her out to the field. She's even stolen some of my old useless stuff, a Sacred Gear transfer device I think. She brought the nun to Kuoh because she wanted to get me to notice her for whatever reason with her Sacred Gear. I have no doubt she'll try to take your son's Sacred Gear."

He paused, made sure both humans were looking at him before he continued.

"Let her die trying. She'll be a warning to the others, show them more of Issei's strength, and he'll be getting rid of a thorn in my side. Even if he doesn't kill her, beats her senseless and shows her pity in the end, she'll have her eyes opened and stop her constant spiel of humans being worthless." Anger crossed his face. "The sheer number of Sacred Gear users she's killed because of her stupidity is close to pissing me off. Decades of research opportunities gone because she's too stupid to understand how important humans are to the Grigori."

"Humans are important to you?" Tobi and Ayame asked the question together and Azazel took a moment to look at them both before he simply chuckled.

"I study Sacred Gear and only humans can be blessed with the power. God created the system to protect them from the supernatural. The Grigori is primarily filled with Fallen Angels but humans are in every level of it, I've had harems of human women I've loved, have humans as some of my most trusted advisors when I can't depend on my brethren, and I've protected countless humans from Devils, Angels, and the other factions of the supernatural world." Azazel looked to the two with sincerity for the first time. He smiled at the two. "Humans are too interesting to ignore or think lesser of. I've lived for countless millennia, as both an Angel and a Fallen Angel, and humans still surprise me. Some use their Sacred Gears for good, some use them for evil, and still others never use them. Most supernatural beings live so long when compared to humans that they ignore them, think less of them, and forget how important they've become."

"Someone should tell you that you talk for too long." Issei's voice came from the steps. His footsteps were silent as he came down them and now he stood at the bottom. "I was standing here for a couple minutes just waiting for you to stop taking and not be rude and interrupt you but now I wish I had."

"Hmm, you're a funny guy kid." Azazel smiled as Issei came to the table, taking up a chair next to his parents and crowding that side of the table. "So, I take it you heard almost everything?"

"I heard enough." Issei rested his head in one of his hands, his elbow on the table and his other arm laid flat on the table. "You're my only ally right now. Those Devils are going to try something else when I head to school tomorrow and…" Issei sighed, shifted his hand to cover his face, and closed his eyes. "I don't like asking this but I need your help."

"Like I already told you, I'm not going to do anything to you like torture. Stress tests for your King's Dragon, discover its limits and see what I can do about those pesky things." Azazel's smile wasn't comforting but it was at least honest. He wasn't lying about anything at least. "If I had known about Sirzechs sending Devils here, decided to visit a day earlier, Sirzechs would have come to me about you and not done what he did. You could have been home this month."

"Don't apologize for the past."

"I wasn't intending to." Azazel reached to his side before drawing his hand back up, setting something on the table and sliding it over to Issei. "This device will let you directly contact me. If the Devils try the same, call me and put me on speaker. I'll give one to each of your parents later but you keep that one on you as often as you can. Beyond that, one of the Fallen Angels will be here for a while to keep your mother safe and another will tail your father to and from work. They understand why they're doing it and know it's coming from me. I'll speak to Rayanare before I go and talk some much needed sense into her and deal with her attitude towards humans. If I can't, I trust you heard what to do."

"King's Dragon doesn't need my input to hurt her." Issei examined the device in his hand, a cellphone for all intents and purposes, the case simply had a design of twelve black wings on the back of it. "She can come after me and I have no problem beating her senseless again."

"Keep an eye on Asia." Azazel rose from his seat with those words. "I'll come back at another time, probably the end of the week. Until then, either use that to call me or speak with Dohnaseek. He may be a bit battle crazy but he's at least capable of rational thought."

The Fallen Angel left through the front door with that.

"See ya Issei." He lifted his hand in goodbye and was gone.

"That guy was weird." Issei sighed into his hand before letting it fall onto the table with the other. He turned to his parents. Remorse shined in his eyes. "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess…I wish I had thought more…not been such a pervert but…I'm just sorry for all this." He wasn't crying. His breakdown with Asia was an exception to a life without tears after the Arrow. "I just wanted to keep you both safe and I…I know you don't like what I did but…"

"Stop talking and hug your mother Issei."

He didn't need to be told twice. The Hyoudou family was back together in that moment.

"No matter what Issei, you'll always be our son."

He never knew how much he missed his parents until that moment.

"Thank you."

"YOU BASTARD!" Matsuda and Motohama greeted him with their normal exuberance at school the next day. Both threw themselves at him, opposite fist cocked back side to side. They aimed to punch him straight in the face and Issei actually smiled at the normalcy of it all.

He 'flicked' them back and they went tumbling end over end when King's Dragon really did flick them. About a dozen times each but the Stand still just flicked them.

"It's good to see you two too." Issei held out the bag he had woken up early to fill up this morning. "I got you something during my trip."

"You're a great guy, you know that Issei?" Both had cried out such, with tears streaming down their eyes, when the saw what was inside the bag. They threw their arms around him from either side and the brown haired human couldn't help but laugh. "We're lucky to have you as a friend you bastard!"

The three walked into the school together for the first time in a month. Issei's bag felt like it weighed ton, which it may have with the amount of make-up work he had in it from the past month, but his face had a small smile as he looked at the familiar sight of Kuoh Academy. It was something he had actually grown to miss when he was in the mountains training for the Rating Game he still wished he had taken no part in. Matsuda and Motohama were telling him about something, probably something to do with their perverted tendencies, but he was hardly listening. He was taking in the atmosphere he didn't know he had missed while he had been away with one of the groups of Devils at the school.

'That reminds me.' The weight on his back was a good reminder.

"You two can head on to class. I have to give all this work to the Student Council before classes starts." Issei wasn't met with the usual scorn when it came to being within fifty feet of a girl as beautiful as the Student Council president, he received looks bordering respectful from the two openly perverted students.

"God have mercy on you Issei." Motohama bowed his head. Matsuda laid a hand on his shoulder with a tear in his eye. "God have mercy."

"W-What?" By the time he had finally responded, the two had already left to class. He had been standing frozen like a statue for a few minutes before his brain had finally come back online. He only stared at where the two should have been before sighing and turning to head to the Student Council room. "Those two don't make any sense."

He went on his way without another word, his hands falling into his pockets even as he took note of a rather strange thing.

'Weird. This hall is usually packed with people wanting to talk to the President.' Issei shrugged his shoulders eventually. 'It's not that important. I just need to drop this off and get to class.' He glanced down to his wrist and realized he didn't wear a watch. He looked to his phone instead by drawing a hand out his pocket. 'Five minutes is plenty of time.'

He reached the door to the Student Council room and couldn't help but bite back a chuckle at the fact he had been at the center of an explosion the last time he had been in front of it.

"Shitori-san, I'm here to drop off my work." He knocked on the door and announced his presence. He received no answer. "Shitori-san?" His hand fell to the doorknob and tried it.

At this moment, a barrier should have zapped him, discouraging him from entering.

The barrier would have stopped him without King's Dragon there.

"ECHI!" King's Dragon demolished the door and whatever was stopping him from getting inside with a single blow. A green pulse of energy ripped across the door and the wall before it was obliterated. Issei still held the doorknob in hand and looked down at it before dropping it to the ground and letting his hand fall back into his pocket.

"I didn't do that." He stepped into a room at war.

Figuratively.

The Occult Research Club stood on one side and the Student Council the other. At the table between the two, Souna and Rias sat down for a game of chess.

All eyes were on him and the remains of the door. Issei glanced back to it before sighing.

'I just want to turn in my work.' Issei stepped further into the room, ignored the looks sent his way. He ignored the way the Vice President of the Student Council looked at him with shock that was close to horror. He ignored the way the Student Council seemed close to taking up arms, the way the sole male present on that side seemed to want to storm towards him. 'I just want to turn in my work.' Issei ignored the looks shot to him by the ORC and focused on why he came to the room.

"I knocked on the door, which isn't my fault, and wanted to give you the work I missed while I was gone from school." Issei shifted the bag on his shoulder, let the strap fall from his arm before doing the same with the other shoulder, keeping it hanging from his elbow. The weight was no trouble for him.

"I expected you to arrive later Hyoudou-san but I can appreciate you dealing with this earlier than I thought." Souna beckoned one of the Student Council members forward as she rose. She turned to Rias. "We can continue this game after school Rias."

"I'll have Akeno prepare tea for us." Rias rose and Akeno stepped forward, the chessboard disappearing even as Souna's eyes shot towards Issei with panic in them.

"I already know you're all Devils." Issei's words immediately calmed her down. He dropped the bag into his hand and set it down on the now empty table. "Anyway, I have this work I need to turn in. Can you accept it now or should I come back later?"

"Now is fine." Souna and a blue haired girl he didn't recognize were on his right. "Tsubasa will help me file it while you head off to class."

"Great." Issei lifted the large amount of paper from his bag and set it in the blue haired girl's, Tsubasa, outstretched hands. He turned and headed towards the ruins of the door. "So…I can't fix the door."

"Your King's Dragon can't do it? I'm honestly surprised." Rias giggled behind him before she must have done something. The door restored itself to its prior condition. He continued forward.

"Issei-san, one moment." Souna's voice stopped him. He wanted to sigh but stopped himself.

"Yes Shitori-san?" He ignored the fact she used his first name. He focused only on the fact that he still needed to get to class after this.

"Before you go, I need to ask you something." Souna stepped forward, Tsubaki, the Vice President, stepped to her side and stood behind her. "Would you like to join my Peerage?"

"I'll pass." His answer was immediate.

"Why?" Her question was nearly as fast.

"…Why?" He turned back to the Devils and. His hands entered his pocket and he did sigh this time. "I don't really think it matters. Telling you why I don't want to join your Peerage won't make me change my mind. It won't help you beyond knowing why I don't want to become a Devil. I simply don't want to."

"I believe Issei can keep his reasons to himself Sona." Issei took note of the name Rias used as she stepped forward.

"Then you can explain why you've allied yourself with the Fallen Angels at least, Issei." Souna looked to him with something that made Issei sigh once more. He could tell the look in her eyes. He had seen it before not very long ago.

"That's easy." Issei stepped forward. King's Dragon appeared at his back. "I want to be left alone." He took another step forward. King's Dragon brought its fists together. The Devils closest to him took a step back, the Devils farthest from him took several steps forward. It didn't matter if the two groups put themselves in front of Souna and Rias. King's Dragon could demolish them all in seconds. They couldn't stop him if he wanted to see any of the Devils in front of him put on the ground. No one here could stop him even if they worked together. "They help with that."

"Why not the Devils?" Souna regained her bearings first, kept a cautious eye on King's Dragon as she stepped forward. "Why go to the Fallen Angels when one of them tried to kill you?"

"I'm done here." Issei turned back to the door.

"Hey, answer Souna-sama's questions you disrespectful punk!" The other blonde Devil in the room stepped forward, something shot towards him.

"ECHI!" King's Dragon's armored hand snatched it out the air before ripping him forward. "ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" The blonde dropped to the ground when King's Dragon's sudden barrage ceased. Issei didn't bother trying to leave the room anymore.

'I need to deal with this.' His eyes searched the room and saw the state the Student Council was in. Their sudden fear of him would give way to action against him soon enough. He knew it.

"King's Dragon is an automatic defense." He looked to Souna and then to the blonde somehow still conscious. King's Dragon let what looked like the extended tongue of a chameleon drop to the ground next to the Devil after it released it. "It's not a good idea to attack me and expect it to work no matter if my back is turned or not." He looked to Souna once more. "I'm not sorry for that. Or this." He kicked the blonde across the floor. "I thought Rias would have told you about King's Dragon but I guess I was wrong. I can hardly keep King's Dragon from killing everyone who tries to attack me. The less prepared I am for it, the more force King's Dragon can use before I can regain control."

"King's Dragon…I've never heard of a Sacred Gear named that." Souna stepped forward, the blonde Devil was slowly rising despite the beating King's Dragon had given him and was being checked on by the Student Council's Vice President regardless of the fact he was still conscious. "How long have you had it?"

"King's Dragon is his Stand Sona. His Sacred Gear is the Boosted Gear." Rias stepped forward with her, caught the shock that passed over her face. She stumbled and would have fallen if she hadn't recovered in time to catch herself. "I was almost just as surprised when I discovered that."

"A Longinus at Kuoh…all this time right under my nose and a boy like Hyoudou has it." Souna shook her head. She turned away from Issei. "You can leave now."

Issei left without another word. King's Dragon vanished as he stepped through the doorway.

"Rias, you called King's Dragon a stand." Sona looked to her longtime friend with something approaching annoyance. It was not because of the fact she was still giggling about what had nearly happened. It certainly was because she clearly knew something that she didn't. It did not have to do with the giggling at all. And it certainly had nothing to do with the embarrassment she was feeling about what had nearly happened either. "I've never heard a term like that before."

"It makes sense that you haven't actually." Rias gestured to the empty table and Sona wordlessly took her seat once more. The Student Council returned to their spots behind her. The Occult Research Club did the same with Rias. "Issei described its powers to my brother before we left to train with him for the month. His Stand has the power to manipulate energy. I saw him do it enough every time my Peerage and I battled him. Any type of energy can be used by it. It's incredible to see when you're not the one fighting against it."

"I see. He took part in the Rating Game against Riser?" Rias only nodded to Sona's question. The Sitri heiress couldn't help but think of how effective such an ability would be against Riser Phenex, his flames rendered nearly worthless by King's Dragon ability. "I can see why you won."

"His Peerage was nearly entirely defeated by Yuuto-kun and Koneko-chan. Only his Queen and one of his Bishops were with him when he fought Issei." Rias spoke those words with pride. Akeno had a small smile of her own as she looked to the two younger Devils.

"They were very impressive to see." Akeno spoke her part and spoke no more.

"I never thought you would win Rias, I hoped you would but I could never think of a strategy that worked against the Phenex Clan's immortality." At the mention of the Phenex's immortality, Rias winced.

"Issei didn't find a way around that as much as he found a way to make Riser retire because of it." Rias would not continue. Sona respected her right to keep what happened during the Rating Game to herself if it made her uncomfortable like it clearly did.

"What else can you tell me about King's Dragon, how powerful is it?" Sona watched as her longtime friend underwent a change. Her eyes fell to the tabletop. They wouldn't leave even as she began speaking again.

"At night, when Onii-sama thought I was asleep, he went out with Issei. The two of them went far away and destroyed wherever they trained at. I felt both their powers shake the mountain even if Onii-sama created a barrier strong enough to contain most of it. Issei doesn't fight, despite the Boosted Gear he likes to keep his hands in his pockets. King's Dragon was what created the tremors. Issei's power was the same as Onii-sama's but he doesn't have the power to match him like King's Dragon." Rias took hold of her hand with the other. "Onii-sama brought Issei with us because he knew he could beat Riser somehow and knew I couldn't. He never asked me if I had a plan to beat Riser with any idea that I could. He knew Issei would be the one responsible for that and he was."

She looked up at her longtime friend. Her eyes held fear.

"Don't try to force Issei to do anything he doesn't want to Sona. He doesn't say it but I know he hates Devils."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1.

AN: I present the Excalibur Arc!

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Two figures in cloaks traveled down a road devoid of life. Hoods concealed their forms and appearances from sight. It was possible to tell they were women only with careful analysis. They were not dressed in cloaks of darkness like one would expect a pair traveling at such a dark hour would conceal themselves in. They were dressed in unsullied cloaks of pure white, gold clasps keeping them closed at their throats. Nothing could be seen within the hoods either wore. It was almost as if they were phantoms, silent disciples for the mission of a higher power. The power both exuded without even trying, without bothering to hide it, proved it was one of wrath, of retribution for a slight. The power that filled the streets as they walked promised a wrath unique to the divine would soon be upon the one unlucky enough to earn such ire.

"So this is your homeland, Irina?" A hooded head looked on either side of the street. Night had fallen, no one traveled at such an unreasonable hour in a neighborhood such as the one they resided in and all was silent. Nothing stirred nearby. "It is…lacking."

"Don't say things like that Xenovia!" The second figure, Irina, spoke with barely contained excitement. "You haven't even met my friend yet! God protected him when he was younger! He survived by God's grace."

"You talk about him too much." The first figure that had spoken, Xenovia, spoke a fact. "How are you sure he even lives where you last remember?"

"I had the church check up on him while I was training with them! My father talked them into doing it." Irina spoke the fact with too much cheer. "They made sure his family never left Kuoh."

"Interesting." Xenovia rose a hand up to her chin. "I never expected the church to help you to indulge in your act of sin."

"Sin?" Irina seemed absolutely horrified at even speaking the monosyllable, terrified of what her companion meant. "What are you talking about Xenovia?"

"You lust after him, correct?" Xenovia spoke the question as if it was a fact instead. "The church has provided you his location and we are headed to his house as we speak now. You clearly can no longer control yourself and must be intending to lay with him to satiate your sinful urges."

Her companion was literally shaking in horror at the thought. Xenovia easily ignored her growing horrorfied expression with every word she spoke.

"You even shake in anticipation towards the act now." Xenovia shook her head, pitying the girl in front of her, of her fall to temptation. "You are despicable Irina but I cannot stop you. You can only pray for forgiveness from God for what you will do to the boy when you take his innocence from him. I hope you're at least gentle with him when you do it."

She didn't seem to notice the statue like state of her mortified companion. She continued onward as if the conversation wasn't slowly traumatizing the girl with her.

"The boy is here correct?" She reached the door to a house. "I will head inside and tell him to ready his body and soul for your arrival."

"Xenovia!" Her companion raced forward, snapped out of her frozen state at last. "Don't! Everything you just said is...is...Just don't do it!"

"I shall." She climbed the steps to the door.

The events of the next eight minutes involved the following: Screaming from Irina, shouts from Xenovia for "Irina's boyfriend to drop his pants and ready himself!" upon opening the door, Issei Hyoudou being dragged out of bed and downstairs by a girl with blue hair, King's Dragon ripping the cloaks his two strange attackers wore when it tried to grab them, a blue haired girl attempting to pin him down on the floor, a blonde haired girl screaming as she tried to get her off, and his still mostly asleep mind was doing its best to understand why the blue haired girl had been trying to take off his pants sincs this mess started. He wasn't awake enough to think about how disturbingly close she got to outright tearing them off.

'What is happening with my life?' Issei laid on the floor without bothering to get up. King's Dragon stood above him, neither of the two girls approaching him with the Stand present. He looked up at the ceiling, looking for some type of answer from the heavens. 'What?'

He obviously didn't get one.

"Um…Issei?" The blonde cautiously approached. King's Dragon's armored head shifted to her and she stilled. The Stand vanished when Issei willed it to do so as he rose back to his feet.

"How do you know my name?" Issei stepped past the two girls in his house, heading towards the kitchen instead. He could be a decent host to the two at least while he got his answers. His parents had somehow slept through all he shouting and screaming. They were heavy sleepers he was almost certain could sleep through the end of the world if it happened if the two were asleep.

Or they would actually get up and stop it so they could get back to 'sleep' if it was one of those nights.

'I don't need that mental image.' Issei wished King's Dragon could modify his memories. The Stand probably could, memories in theory could be said to be stored in the mind and brought to the conscious mind by electrical impulses King's Dragon could end. 'Trying to do it may fry my brain through…' Issei looked to King's Dragon, where it hung invisible at his back. 'Should I risk it?'

"Issei, you don't recognize me?" The blonde haired girl had followed him into the kitchen, found the teapot and handed it to him. He had gone to get the tea first and didn't let his curiosity show.

"I would recognize a beautiful girl like you." Issei turned his focus on making the tea, missing the blush that turned the blonde's face scarlet. She didn't know what to say it seemed and could only stand there, her blush spreading.

"Go for his pants now Irina." Xenovia made her presence known behind the girl, pushing her forward and into Issei. King's Dragon burst to life but the Stand did nothing for Issei. It simply caught the teapot now filled with boiling hot water. Issei regretted using King's Dragon's powers to heat the water.

Irina landed on top of him, King's Dragon set the burning hot teapot on the counter, and Xenovia tried to pull off his pants. Again.

"Wait!" Issei immediately tried to move back, grabbed hold of his waistband with one hand, tried to draw his legs in at but Irina was laying on top of them after the blue haired girl pushed her into him. He looked to King's Dragon but he wasn't in danger. The Stand wasn't going to do anything just like it did nothing when he had fallen into Rias and Akeno's trap.

He swore he saw the Stand give him a thumb up before it vanished from sight.

"Xenovia!" Irina scrambled off of him, grabbed the blue haired girl before her hands could reach his belt and he would have to fight a fresh battle against her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I am aiding my sister of the Church to sate her sinful urges of the flesh." Her deadpan made Issei sigh as the girl's blush somehow actually began to glow.

It was almost impressive.

"You don't have to strip me." Issei set up with Irina gone. He rose back to his feet and looked at the blonde haired girl. "Your name's Irina?" He couldn't keep the small smile off his face at the memories the name brought back for him. It was of a time where he didn't know pain, a time where he had a friend, and a time where he still had some innocence. "I had a friend named Irina years ago…he was my best friend."

"Issei." Irina moved surprisingly fast. She threw her arms around him. "I can't believe you remember me!"

"Rememb-IRINA!" Issei actually threw his arms around her. His mind was in the present and the past. He remembered the arms around him no matter how much they had changed, he remembered the soft laughter of childhood, the innocent fun that filled his days, and the boy, no the girl, he had spent so much of such a fleeting time with. "It's you."

"I came back Issei." Irina tightened her hold on him. He tightened his hold on her. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face, the smile at the memories that he thought would be buried forever. "I came back just like I said I would. I always keep my promises."

"Irina." He could only repeat the name, let the smile stay on his face.

He wanted this moment to last forever. She wanted this moment to never end. They were both fine just being able to hold their dear friend again, have the chance to know the past both had treasured didn't have to bring the despair of knowing those times were gone forever with it. They could make new memories, make the present and the future just as great as the past. They didn't need to think back on those times with near despair anymore. They had each other again.

"…Will there still be tea?" The blue haired girl, Xenovia, ruined the moment between friends.

"King's Dragon."

The girl drew a blade from seemingly nowhere to stop the teapot thrown at her. She caught sight of Issei's glare and found a reason to exit the kitchen a moment later.

"So, what are you and the other girl doing here?" Order had been restored roughly twenty minutes later. All three sat together, a cup of tea in each of their hands, and Issei asked the question that had been burning at the forefront of his mind since seeing the two. Well, since he had been dragged downstairs and had nearly been stripped.

"We are here on orders from Heaven itself." Irina smiled, pride filling her voice as she spoke of her mission. "We're to recover holy relics stolen from churches around the world and return them to the protection of the Vatican."

"Really?" Issei set his cup down and looked at the two girls. He felt power from them, a great power coming from both, and couldn't help but smile. "That sounds like something to be happy about, better than having to deal with Devils like I've been forced to for the past month."

"What?" Irina was suddenly at his side, looking him over with worry. Xenovia caught her falling cup before it could strike the ground and most assuredly shatter. "Devils are after you now?"

"Devils are at my school and keep trying to get me to help them." Issei set his cup down. He sighed. "I fought for one in a Rating Game because King's Dragon punched her brother's wife in the face after she showed up to stop me from having sex with her and another Devil."

"…" The blonde could only blink.

"King's Dragon?" When Irina had nothing to say, Xenovia spoke a question on her mind. She looked to where King's Dragon had last appeared, in the kitchen when it had thrown the teapot at her for interrupting the long awaited reunion of the two old friends, before turning her eyes back towards Issei. "What precisely is this ability you have?"

"Issei has a gift from God Xenovia." Irina answered for him, throwing her arms around him and pulling him into her chest. He was fine with it, the memories she brought back let him be completely fine with it. "He was hurt a long time ago but God helped him get better and gave him power to keep himself safe, a miracle because I prayed so much for him."

"God helped you?" Xenovia was used to Irina saying such things and looked to the boy that had been the focus of such a tale many times for confirmation. "Does Irina speak the truth?"

"God?" Issei shifted, Irina moved with him. The two were side by side now on the couch. "God is rather strange now that I think about it." He looked to the ceiling, looked past it and to the heavens. "God let a little boy get shot with an Arrow, let an old man die in front of that little boy, and let him take on pain he never should have." Issei wasn't looking for an answer as he stared past everything. He was looking into the past, searching his memory. "But God gave me the power to stop it from happening again I guess, God gave me the chance to see the face of the bastard who shot me, and God is going to give me the chance to use this power to kill him." Issei turned his eyes, eyes devoid of anything, to Xenovia. "If you consider that God's help, than he helped me."

"…You are strange." Xenovia spoke no more. She rose from her seat. "We should leave Irina."

"I'll feel bad if I just kicked you two out so late at night. You can stay here tonight if you want." Issei wasn't going to be rising from his seat anytime soon. He wanted to be close to Irina still. Irina wanted to be close to him. Both were fine simply sitting where they were and catching up. "I'll explain it all to my parents in the morning."

"You're the best Issei." Irina wrapped her arms around him and Issei let himself be pulled in. "You're just like I remember."

'No I'm not.' Issei didn't let his smile fall. 'I can try to be but you deserve better now Irina.'

Morning came rather quickly. King's Dragon had been sent off to grab a spare blanket and Issei discovered Irina was a cuddler. He didn't really have a choice but to remain on the couch when he had discovered such a fact last night and King's Dragon had covered both in the blanket. Issei swore the Stand was laughing at him before it vanished from sight. Xenovia had simply laid herself out on the couch across from him and used her cloak as an impromptu blanket. King's Dragon had gotten a blanket for her as well before it had vanished.

'How am I going to explain this to Mom and Dad?' Issei would have brought a hand up to his chin but both were currently occupied, one arm wrapped around Irina and the other holding Irina's hand between the two. He was fine with this. 'With the supernatural stuff happening they may not care as long as they're not Devils and they both at least know Irina.' Issei cast his eyes towards Xenovia. She was almost eerily still in her sleep. 'Xenovia won't be problematic hopefully.' His face turned slightly red. 'Hopefully I don't have to buy a better belt at the end of all this.'

"Issei?" The high schooler turned and caught sight of the blonde nun. He did his best to smile at her despite the situation she found him in.

"Ah Asia, how did you sleep last night?" He wasn't getting an answer from the girl who instead focused on the girl at his side and then the girl across from him on the couch. "Asia?" He didn't like the look that crossed her eyes even if it was just for a moment. She turned back to him and smiled.

"Let me help you." Star Twilight came to life and the maiden's hands shined, were consumed by light that somehow wasn't blinding. It was gentle beyond anything else. The teen felt as if he was wrapped in warmth like no other. Before Issei knew it, he was free of Irina's hold and Asia had taken hold of his hand to lead him upstairs. "You need to get ready for school Issei."

"I do." Issei let her take him away. "Have my parents talked to you about school yet?"

"I'm still learning the language from your mother." Asia's face flushed red. "I'm trying but…I still only hardly know the basics."

"You're learning Asia." They reached the top of the stairs and Issei stopped, laying a hand on Asia's shoulder. "That's all that matters right now. We'll take this one step at a time, got it?"

"I…I just want to go to school with you Issei." Asia looked away from Issei, her face still red. "I don't want you to be alone with those devils."

"Don't worry about me so much Asia." Issei dropped down to her height, didn't let his smile fall in the slightest. He gently turned her head to face him again with his free hand. "I have King's Dragon to keep me safe and the deal with the Fallen Angels."

"But what if they still try to hurt you?"

"Then I'll destroy them. I won't let anyone hurt mom, dad, you, even the guys who hang out with me. No one is going to get to any of you without having to go through me and King's Dragon."

'And I'll let King's Dragon level the whole city if I have to.' He let that silent vow bind him, ruins would be the future if he had to do it to keep everyone safe. No one would hurt Asia again, no one would ever make his parents go through what the Devils made them again, and he wouldn't even let those two perverts get hurt.

If he had to, he would fight God himself to keep them all safe. He was the Red Dragon Emperor and had a Stand as powerful as Kong's Dragon. It was a great loaded deck to have in any fight. If anyone could possibly kill a god, kill even God himself, it was him.

And he wouldn't regret it.

"Kiba." Before classes started for the day, Rias called over the sole Knight of her Peerage with as gentle a tone as she could. She needed to address what had happened last night. She knew what he was sensing, knew what it was doing to him. She had hoped it would be over with by the morning, find a way to control himself, but it was for naught. It had only gotten so much worse. She had been a fool to let it fester an entire night. It may not be possible to held him anymore with so much time to let his mind remind him of what such power had done, of what such power had cost him and so many others. The oath he had taken because of such power. "We need to talk."

"Rias...I can feel THEM." Hatred. Pure and simple hatred took hold of her knight. Kiba Yuuto could hardly keep himself from shaking in rage. "I can feel those...those things."

"The church sent them here Kiba. We can't attack them. It could start another Great War." She needed to talk some sense into him. Keep him from doing something he would regret later, something they all would regret later.

She didn't even know if it was even possible to succeed. She could feel how hatred had consumed him, engulfed him in a raging torrent that she wasn't sure there was even any escape from. It had become everything to him until he had nothing but it left. It was almost as if it had consumed his very soul.

"I can't just let them go..." He grit his teeth, his hands curled into fists, and his body trembled as he did his best to keep himself together. He wasn't winning. He was failing. "After what I lost...after what they did...those THINGS are the reason I lost everyone!"

He was fighting, and losing, the war raging within himself. Rias already knew what he would do. It was painfully obvious now that there was no hope in hell that he would remain where he was. He couldn't. He had to go. He had to go out and destroy, go out and kill.

If he didn't, his hatred would tear him apart.

"I've already contacted my father. He'll have someone to take you to the Underworld if you can't control yourself." Her father had been swift in aiding his daughter. It was likely in an attempt to leave the territory of her ire but it was nearly hopeless. She wouldn't forget the loveless life he had nearly locked her into.

He would be lucky if she could even tolerate him again within the next decade.

"You're asking me to forget about THAT Rias. I-I can't do that." It was as if each word was truly a struggle. He seemed more like a mad beast driven into a frenzy than a Devil at the moment and he knew it. He had clenched his fists so hard that blood stained the carpet but neither paid such a thing any mind.

His hate was consuming him. His hate was going to take him away from her and she realized, to her horror, that there was nothing she could do to stop it.

When the tears began to fall from her eyes, when she realized her own helplessness, her Servant could no longer linger.

He was gone from her sight in a flash of red.

"Kiba..." She didn't scream his name, plead to whatever would listen to bring him back to her. It was hopeless. She crumbled to her knees and sobbed, failed to stifle her cries, and hated her own powerlessness.

There was no Issei to solve her problems any longer. There was no Sirzech to help her, to train her to become strong enough.

She was too weak to do anything in the end. She was too weak to do anything but sob at her powerlessness. What was a King that couldn't help even a single member of her Peerage? What was a King that let every problem fester and grow until it couldn't be stopped? What was a King that had to rely on a human to win all her battles for her? What was a King that had to seduce a human to fight for her? What was a King that had to rely on anyone but herself and those who swore their lives to her to fight her battles? What was a King that couldn't fight to keep her Peerage whole?

She was pathetic.

She was pathetic because she could only sob and couldn't answer any such questions.

She was no King.

Issei sat across from the two girls that had shown up at his house last night, Asia at his side. The nun had decided the best way to learn the language she had grasped the basics of was to head out with him today. He planned to head out (he was not even going to pretend to even consider going to Kuoh Academy today) and, once he was done with Asia, speak with Dohnaseek at the church. He needed to know if the Fallen could actually protect his parents from any other tricks by the Devils. It would also help to get an outside opinion on Azazel. He definitely trusted the rather honest and open Fallen Angel more than the Devils but it wasn't by much. One compared to zero was a lot after all.

The man had still decided to try and attack him all to see what King's Dragon could do. He was too driven by his research to Issei. He was dangerous with that kind of drive.

"So what exactly got stolen?" He opened up the conversation with a rather simple question.

"We are not allowed to speak on that to those outside of the church." Xenovia physically stopped Irina from answering by laying her hand over the blonde's mouth. Her eyes were focused on Asia instead of Issei as she spoke.

Issei stopped himself from doing anything extreme when he noticed. King's Dragon didn't appear at all.

His fingers tensed but that was all.

"I guess you two will be fine out there by yourselves then?" He yawned after he finished speaking. "I was planning to do a bunch of stuff today and want to know if I should be worried about you getting in a big fight." His eyes were sealed away from the outside world. He couldn't stop the hate that shined in them so he hid them away for now. "Like with the Devils."

He leaned his head back, let a deep exhale take away some of the pure hatred he felt merely remembering the fact that Devils were always so close to his family, his friends, and to Asia.

The nun laid her hand on his.

"You don't need to be angry Issei. I know you'll never let them hurt me or anyone." Asia could read him like an open book despite the time he had spent away. It almost seemed like he could hold no secret from her.

"I wish I could. Then I wouldn't have to strike a deal with any of those things. I could have a nice peaceful, boring life with all of you." Issei let another deep exhale take away his hate. He focused on Asia's soothing presence and let his eyes open once more. Having his head back on the couch was surprisingly comfortable. It was definitely comfortable enough for the brown haired teen not to bother with a thing like moving at all.

Issei eventually released a sigh.

"...I want you to call me if you run in to any kind of trouble." He didn't look away from the ceiling he was staring at. "I'll be with Asia for most of the day but I'll be on the lookout for the call. Don't get hurt if you can help it. I just got to see you again Irina, I don't want to say goodbye for a while if I can help it."

"You don't have to worry about us Issei." Irina stood up from her seat, moved over to stand in front of Issei. "God is going to protect us because of our righteous mission. He will watch over us and make sure I can see you again."

She reached out, laid a hand on the arm she knew was scarred by the past.

"He was with you that day. He'll be with us both from now on. He'll bless us both with the strength we need. Trust me." Irina could see how deeply worried he was for her. Knew how much he had missed her when they had been forced to part ways because she missed him just the same. He was her drive to get so much stronger than she ever thought she could be, to embrace the strength given to her by the church's training, the strength given to her by God to wield such incredible power as the Holy Swords stored by the church.

Issei Hyoudou and her faith kept her going in her darkest moments.

"...You haven't changed as much like I thought you would Irina." Issei smiled as his head dropped forward. He moved to his feet and pulled the Exorcist close with one arm. The other, the one scarred by the Arrow years ago, hung at his side. "I'm glad."

She took hold of his arm free, didn't let him pull it out of her grip. She tightened her own hold on him, didn't let him try to draw away.

"God gave you this power Issei. He gave us both power to keep our friends and our families safe. Don't be so embarrassed about it." Her words were only for him, whispered into his ear so softly he could make a good case and say he hadn't heard them.

They were perfectly clear.

He didn't know if he should ever tell her he heard them. If he could ever accept what the Arrow had done to him. Accept everything the Arrow had so easily taken from him.

His body tensed, every muscle screamed at him with the lingering agony of the past. He felt the Arrow rise from his flesh, feel the edge warmed by his blood, dusted in shards of bone, draped in ripped flesh slowly press against his neck. He felt it rise, force the skin to sink, slow itself as it relished his pain, his screams. He wanted to scream, wanted to tear it away, but his body was no longer his own, no longer anything. Where the Arrow touched burned like nothing else but everywhere else was chilled, numb to life.

Irina's warmth was there just when he thought he had lost himself. He felt it spread. He felt the Arrow wither, felt it hide away.

He didn't raise his arm to wrap around her but he didn't draw it away.

He was fine with this.

He was fine.

The four had set out from his home together. They were hardly a few blocks from his house when an unwelcome guest to them all appeared.

A blonde Devil Issei wished he had never met.

The moment he swung his sword towards Irina he wished he had killed him.

King's Dragon intercepted the blow with one armored hand, catching the flaming blade by the tip and shattering it. It threw Kiba away with a burst of emerald power.

Kiba's mouth moved but Issei heard nothing. He heard nothing but his own heartbeats, heard the blood filling his ears. The Devil spoke but Issei heard nothing at all.

He only saw the fangs. He only saw the fresh steel that took hold of his hands. He only saw the blood that could have been spilled.

King's Dragon attacked.

The Devil never stood a chance. It was over in hardly a minute. He had beaten him for over a month when he worked with a group of Devils that tried to beat him. He held back then. He held back now. He didn't maim, didn't incinerate, didn't annihilate the creature that had dared to attack Irina, that dared to threaten Asia.

He didn't kill the creature in front of him. He showed mercy when he beat it into the ground instead of into a grave.

He was conscious. His hate kept him from succumbing to his body's desire to dip into the darkness that swarmed from his injuries. He ignored it with his hate. His hate even powered him to speak a single word, ask too many questions to count.

"Why?" He had to ask. He had to know.

Why couldn't he beat him?

Why couldn't he fulfill his oath?

Why was he so weak?

Why couldn't he kill the Holy Sword wielders?

Why couldn't he die?

Why could he never close the gap?

Why could he beat him so easily?

Why didn't another live in his place?

Why did he have to be left alone?

Why did he have to bear the burden of his hatred?

Why did he have no one?

Why did he have such power?

Why couldn't he have that power?

Why couldn't Rias understand why he needed to do this?

Why did fate steer him down this path?

Why was he cursed with Light when anything else would have spared him such misery?

Why couldn't he die before she arrived?

Why did she pick a boy as unworthy, as weak, as useles as him for a servant?

Why was he even alive?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

"Hmm?" Issei turned to face him, the brown haired teen's disinterested stare enraging him in ways nearly nothing else ever could. He wanted to strike out at him, to make him look at him another way, but he knew it was worthless in the end.

King's Dragon wouldn't allow such a thing. He wouldn't get a chance to take a single step towards him. He would be lucky to even get away with a twitch.

He couldn't hurt Issei Hyoudou.

"Don't play dumb with me Hyoudou!" Kiba's fist slammed into the ground, his voice a roar as he bared his teeth, closer to fangs than anything else in that moment. "You know what I want to know so answer me!"

"I don't." Issei stepped forward, away from the two Exorcists he had been traveling with for not even an hour. "You haven't really explained anything to me, just screamed at those two over there about swords and stuff." His hands didn't leave his pockets as he yawned, his eyes settling on Kiba but hardly focusing on the Devil. "I don't really know why you even attacked them in the first place."

An armored hand took hold of the front of his shirt and forcibly lifted him into the air. King's Dragon emerald lenses reflected his own hate filled eyes back at him. They burned with utter hatred, were consumed by nothing but his fury at the two, at his weakness, at Issei's power.

"I don't even know why you have that look like you want to kill me on your face." Issei's brown eyes, even if it was ever so slightly, hardened. It spoke volumes, far more than King's Dragon fist as it was drawn back.

Issei shrugged his shoulders.

"It doesn't matter in the end. I hope you don't plan on doing anything else today." Issei turned away without another word, walked over to the two Exorcists with him. "I'll tell Gremory to come pick you up before anything strange happens to you."

His piece said, King's Dragon slammed Kiba's head into the ground. The Knight was completely unconscious from an impact that would lay out most Rooks.

"ECHI!" The fist was thrown forward and was stopped a hair's breadth from Kiba's unconscious body. In the blink of an eye, a dome rippled out from it. It became a sphere as it dug into the ground.

Issei didn't spare the Devil another glance as he bid farewell to Irina and Xenovia. He carried on with his day with Asia as if it hadn't been interrupted in the slightest.

In a way it wasn't.

How could a fly bother him when he could so easily swat it away?

"Is Dohnaseek in?" The Exorcist in front of him was literally shaking. Issei's bored eyes hardly swept over him as the causally dressed teen waited outside the doors of the church. King's Dragon wasn't in sight but anyone with a sense for the supernatural knew it was always watching, always waiting, and always ready.

"Y-Yes." The Exorcist stepped away, threw open the doors as swiftly as possible. Issei ignored the fear induced trembling from the man and walked inside.

Asia followed after him.

"You don't have to be here you know?" Issei walked into the sanctuary of the faithful with a yawn and his hands in his pockets. "I can handle this."

"I know..." Star Twilight didn't have as visible a presence as King's Dragon. Maybe it's own powerful aura was washed out by King's Dragon's overwhelming one. Perhaps it was just another example of the difference in power between a Longinus and normal Sacred Gear. "I just don't want you to be alone here."

"Thank you." The rest of their walk was in silence.

Issei stepped into a room with four Fallen Angels and a dozen or so Exorcists within. Asia waited outside the room at his urging.

"I've been meaning to speak with you for a while Dohnaseek. Devils kept getting in my way." Issei yawned as he came to a stop in the center of the room, as King's Dragon appeared behind him. All but one of the Exorcist took a step back. "That Azazel guy came by my house a while ago. He said you guys will be keeping my family safe from the Devils, is he right?"

"No Fallen Angel would disobey an order from a being as powerful as Azazel-sama. Your family will be protected by the Fallen as long as you hold to your side of whatever deal you struck." The Fallen wasn't attempting to deceive him. He was too honest and too open.

He also knew better.

King's Dragon was a creature no one wanted to anger even before knowing the boy who controlled it possessed the Boosted Gear. It swiftly became the equivalent to suicide once such a thing was well known. His battle against the two Phenex siblings during the Ratings Game he took part in only added incentive.

Dohnaseek figured no one would willingly make a boy like Issei their enemy. It would be the epitome of foolishness.

"Hello Asia-chan." Outside the room, Asia silently stared at the Fallen Angel that had brought her to the city to, as she now knew, steal her Sacred Gear from her as a step in a plan that probably only made sense to her. "I'm glad to see you."

The dark haired Fallen was all smiles as she stepped closer to the nun, stepped well within her comfort zone. One black gloved hand reached out, brushed away a stray strand of her blonde hair. She stepped closer and the nun didn't step away.

Star Twilight wouldn't appear unless she willed the Stand to. The attack would take the Fallen completely by surprise.

"Are you glad to see me too Asia-chan?" Raynare leaned forward, her smile far too wide. She grabbed hold of the strand of hair she had pushed away. She didn't pull on it but escape was limited as she began to twirl it around her fingers. "Well, are you?"

She pulled. It was light but it wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling for Asia. She didn't cry out. Her eyes didn't leave Raynare.

She looked at her with pity. She pitied the Fallen that was so desperate for power that she would go to nearly any length. She pitied how far she had let herself fall since her wings had turned as dark as night.

"Raynare-chan, can I tell you something?" Asia looked up at the much taller Fallen Angel, green eyes not moving away from violet spheres of madness.

"You can tell me anything Asia-chan." Raynare's smiled was slowly exposing the madness that it had already poorly concealed.

Light sparked in the palm of her free hand, her fingers curled before splaying out. She was losing the struggle to restrain herself.

"Before you found me, I prayed to God everyday for someone to save me. I prayed and I prayed for God to help me but everywhere I went, I only found people who wanted to hurt me, to use the gift my Lord gave me. I went from city to city, church to church, searching for somewhere where I could worship my Lord away from all those people but I never found it. But I still prayed. I prayed because I knew God had a plan for me, I knew God did not abandon me. And he didn't. He lead me to you, let me come to Kuoh, and let me meet a boy like Issei. All my trials, all the obstacles the Lord placed before me, it was to make sure I could come to this place, meet Issei, and be away from people like that. People like you Raynare."

Asia smiled as Raynare's face twisted. She pulled harshly on the hair she held and Asia saw red light spark into a thin spear.

Star Twilight took shape next to her, her cloak gone and the dark expanse filled with stars took hold of her wings, let the gluttonous void open its toothless maw and sate its greed. Light was consumed by the wings, crimson dust spiraling into the endless nothingness that created them in the blink of an eye. Light took hold in the fair maiden's hands, burned with a power like nothing else.

"Goodbye Raynare." Asia didn't look at the Fallen Angel as she spoke. She didn't need to. She drew away from the wall just as Issei opened the door.

The sight of the brown haired boy was enough to make the Fallen Angel pale. She had been defeated effortlessly twice by the boy, had seen what he had done so easily to someone as powerful as Riser Phenex, and knew her chances against something as powerful as a Longinus type Sacred Gear.

She was prideful, arrogant, and sadistic to an extent that made her run headfirst into situations with half thought out plans but she wasn't in any way suicidal. She wouldn't challenge someone already on their way to mastering a power like the Boosted Gear. She wasn't that stupid.

"Hey Asia." Issei completely ignored her. His eyes were only for the blonde haired and green eyed nun with him. "I'm done here."

Star Twilight had vanished from the sight of all but the nun the second the door had opened. She offered a beautiful smile to the brown haired teen and saw his eyes light up. She wrapped one of her arms around his, one hand in his pocket keeping it at his side, and began to walk with him.

Neither spared Raynare a further glance.

"Then we can go back home?" Asia received a nod and a small smile from the teen resolute to ditch the entire day of classes at Kuoh.

"Yeah. We can just head back and relax for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I'm going to go see that Azazel guy in his fancy lab and show him what King's Dragon can do for a couple hours. I'll be back before lunch." Issei raises his free hand to cover his eyes and sighed. "I'm probably going to get in trouble for missing school today so I better not show up for the rest of the week. It's only a few days anyway."

"Can you take me to that arcade you were telling me about a while ago then? We can spend all day at home tomorrow when you get back." Asia smiled at him and the teen immediately conceded without question.

"Sure. It's not like I'm going to pay for any of the games anyway." He hardly held back a yawn as he spoke.

One of King's Dragon more plentiful uses over the years was its use as a money saver. Electricity could easily be manipulated by the Stand, make a game his to do with as he pleased. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had paid to play a game in the arcade. It was second nature for King's Dragon to hijack the game for however long he wanted to play. It was usually for a few hours.

"Issei, how can you be so okay with doing something like that?" Asia reprimanded him for such ways with a frown on her face. "Don't you know how important it is to obey rules."

"There's no rule that says I can't use King's Dragon. Besides, the guy in charge is probably okay with it. Anytime I set a high score, he's got people flocking in to break it. His place only gets bigger the more high scores I set. I'm pretty sure he's given me an unofficial sponsorship with all the little 'gifts' he gives me." A small smile took hold of Issei's face as he spoke of his time in the arcade.

He may not pay to play the games but he definitely had an impressive level of skill when it came to them. There was not a single game in the building's rather vast and always growing selection that he hadn't beaten and set a high score for at least once. He had been working on beating out his previous high scores on some of his favorite games when he had been dragged on the date that started the disaster his life had morphed into when devils got involved. His skills may have gotten a little bit rusty but his reflexes had definitely gotten sharper over the last month and change he had been away from Kuoh.

He was definitely ready to have another go at breaking at least one of his high scores.

"I still think you should pay for them." Asia was pouting at him. Issei wouldn't admit he was suddenly embarrass of his habits but by how red his face was, how he pointedly looked towards the sky instead of Asia, it was clear the nun had gotten to him.

"A-Alrght. I've got some extra pocket change anyway so I guess I can pay just this once." He conceded to the girl on his arm, felt like the world brightened up a little when he caught a glimpse of her smile. "Just don't expect me to make a habit of it okay? I'm not made of money after all."

"Will you at least pay for the game when you're with me?" He didn't speak but nodded to her suggestion. He was pretty sure the sun was darker than Asia's happy expression.

There was no way the sun could compare to the light shining from the girl now.

'I'm still not paying for vending machines.' It wa simple retribution there. Too many had taken his money and hoarded it with nothing in exchange. It was only fighting a mighty enemy in an everlasting battle when it came to those machines of evil.

And snacks.

The snacks were definitely not evil. There was no way they could be. But could they be converted to evil was the true question? Issei realized he had no choice but to truly ponder this. Was the supernatural world evil enough to corrupt the delicious snacks of Kuoh? Would they fall to such lows if given no other option? Would they Devils attempt to control the town with magically drugs disguised as candy, as soda? Would the Fallen and the mad scientist that seemed to lead them resort to creating dangerous experiments and hiding them away in the same? Experiments that would transform anyone unfortunate enough to partake in it into a monster?

Issei was so deep in such deliberations that he didn't notice the two had reached their destination until he was through the dark double doors and inside the building.

"Issei!" A familiar voice shouted his name and a grin spread across his face. "I haven't seen you in so long I thought you were dead!"

"You're too morbid Mario! I would definitely haunt this place if I kicked the bucket this young!" Issei approached the large Italian man behind the counter with a grin.

He was the owner of Zeppeli's Game Temple, the, in Issei's opinion, greatest arcade in the entirety of the known world. He and his family, a wife and enough kids Issei was sure the man and his wife never bothered with birth control, had come to Kuoh shortly before Issei had been born. His parents had hit it off with the new foreigners and had brought Issei to the family friend a few weeks after he had gotten out of the hospital. They had hoped he would make friends with the children his age during what had become a weekly game night. He played the games with them and walked away from the night with a smile.

He had only made rivals when he had demolished several high scores. Rivals that were still rivals with him today.

"As long as you keep making everyone want to break your high scores I'm fine with that!" The man didn't just accept a handshake from the boy he had known for so long. He pulled him into a one armed embrace. "It's good to see you again after so long. Your parents were worried about you wherever you went off to."

"Yeah. I couldn't write much where I was." Issei pulled back first. His smile was still there but it was a bit strained. "I want to make up for lost time and so everybody I'm still the champ of this place."

"Don't let me hold you or your girlfriend up then Champ." Mario gave him a solid pat on the back and Issei's eyes widened.

"I can't believe I completely forgot to introduce you two." He saw Asia was already heading into the arcade when he turned to find her gone from his side.

"I already met her Issei." Mario laughed as he went back to his place behind the counter. "Your parents brought her over when they were showing her the sights of the town. Your folks made sure the last stop was here. Saving the best for last and all."

"R-Really?" Issei was already heading in after the blonde nun and saw her waiting at one of the games with a smile on her face.

"Let's play this game Issei!" The way she was smiling, the way she beamed at him, Issei was fine paying for the game.

It was a classic for Mario's place, a classic for arcades everywhere in _Road Brawler_ but Zeppeli would settle for nothing but the ultimate edition for his Game Temple. The largest playable roster yet, the return of favorites across multiple games, a massive roster of guest characters, and a host of unlockables ranging from costumes to entirely new characters and stages. Issei had beaten the numerous tournaments in the fighting game a few times, finished the arcade mode with every character at least once, unlocked the most secret characters out of everyone who played it, unlocked the secret levels, and had beaten all challengers to his crown as champion. The controls were simple, a joystick to move and four buttons to attack and combo with. The cabinet was wide enough for four players to fight in a battle royale but for now it would only be two.

"Alright." Issei gave up the necessary funds for both to play and took hold of the very familiar controls. "I don't know if you've e-"

Asia had already selected her fighter and eagerly awaited for him to do the same. Issei rose an eyebrow in curiosity before he shrugged and selected one of the better fighters.

The two intros played and Issei settled in for going easy on Asia. It would be u-

 **ULTRA COMBO!**

She demolished more than half his health in the opening attack.

Issei readied himself to defend his title instead. A glance to the nun showed she was smiling and laser focused on the game in front of her. He wouldn't expect a nun to play so brutally at a fighting game but Asia was full of surprises it seemed.

The first game, with a tried and true sudden cancel of a move that left him rather open to attack into a punishing combo, ended in his favor. Both had been reduced to a silver of health.

Asia returned strong in the second game, a victory in her hands in just two rounds.

"You know what this means, right Asia?" Issei hadn't been this excited at a game with his 'rivals' for years.

"I've been meaning to beat some of your high scores anyway." The nun smiled as she checked her nails for something.

"It is definitely on." Issei dived back into the game. The nun gladly did the same.

Eventually, the two moved from _Road Brawler_ to a more recent _Mega Mash Bros_ before heading back to an older _Silver Fist_ fighter. Then the two started jumping from cabinet to cabinet. A race in the chair setup for _Nasty and Nitro_. Seeing how well the other could fly and shoot in _Space Wolf_ and then seeing who could get the most points, best time, and more secret bonuses in each of the levels. Next came a home console classic ported to arcades in _Chronicle of Ana_ , both taking on the challenges as the young hero Tie on side by side cabinets. Once that wasn't conclusive to a victor the two moved on again, a survival action horror in _Mansion Malice_ where each took control of a separate character from a special forces team deployed to a mansion turned lab and worked through puzzles while managing scarce resources as they worked to uncover what happened and created a horde of zombies and other monsters. The two had just started on the second half when both felt the sudden massive surge of Holy Power erupt on the other side of Kuoh. Issei could feel three distinct signatures begin to clash. One was horribly twisted and the other two were familiar.

Both had only shown up last night after all.

"Irina..." Issei froze. Asia glanced to him and paused the game for both.

"We can play later Issei." She laid a hand on his arm, saw the worry enter his eyes at the fate of his oldest friend. "We can go now."

"Y-Yeah." Issei's mind was elsewhere as he stepped away. All the fun of the last dozen or so hours was forgotten in favor of Irina.

She was in trouble. He could feel it.

He didn't waste time with walking, not when she was in danger. He grabbed hold of Asia with both arms and the two were suddenly airborne with King's Dragon flying them away. The sheer wind caused by their speed would have normally torn them apart if a emerald capsule didn't surround them from the Stand.

It was barely a streak as it rocketed towards the Holy signatures. Two of them were dimming, flaring, showing how much their owners strained against the titanic corrupted one.

The emerald comet that was King's Dragon slammed into the corrupted one obviously. Asia called Star Twilight to her side, wings of darkness opening up as the maiden grabbed hold of both the nun and the teenager. Light, the weapon used by the corrupted source, was consumed by the darkness that were the maiden's wings. Even the emerald power of King's Dragon was not safe from its gluttony. Issei hardly seemed to notice that power was being drained from his Stand as he saw the two Exorcists hardly standing.

"Issei!" Irina, despite her exhaustion and the many wounds that let her blood stain the ground in a number of puddles, was more worried for him than herself. "You can't be here! It isn't safe for you!"

"Irina..." Dead eyes stared at the state of his childhood friend. The Boosted Gear appeared with a silent fury.

Issei's body began to shake in rage.

His eyes followed the blood that fell from a cut on Irina's forehead, trailed down the side of her face, curved down her chin, and finally fell to the cold ground below her. His eyes took in her numerous wounds, the burns that denoted the harsh light had seared her flesh close in some places. His eyes took in the fact that her once flawless skin was broken and blackened from her battle.

King's Dragon ignited with a blazing emerald aura like it never had before. It's body was consumed from sight, its armored form was rendered nothing but a silhouette of endless darkness before it ROARED.

It was as if a dragon had been unleashed upon the world without warning.

One moment the pale creature with pointed ears and five pairs of wings as dark as night was sneering at them, a hail of spears of twisted holy light coming into being above to tear them all to pieces, and the next King's Dragon was upon it.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIEHIECHIECHI!" The Stand roared as it unleashed its fury upon the creature before it. It didn't strike a dozen times. It didn't strike a hundred times. It didn't strike a few hundred times.

Thousands. The Stand unleashed blows numbering in the thousands in less time it took Issei to take a single hate filled inhale of air tinged with burning ozone.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" The creature that had dared to harm Irina was forced higher and higher into the air, the air growing thinner and thinner as the blaze around King's Dragon only grew and grew as it if it was the sun. It grew brighter and brighter, burned and burned, and was hardly a single piece of Issei's wrath.

"FUCKING DIE!" The Boosted Gear was held upwards towards the sky, the emerald orb bathed all in its wrathful light, and snatched all light from the world to replace with his own.

What sparked to life from the orb was not a beam, was not a blast, was nothing so simple as what one would normally call an attack. It was annihilation. It was destruction. It was wrath. It was hate.

It was but a taste of the power required to kill a God.

King's Dragon, the creature, the sky itself was consumed in a massive blast. It was as if hell had opened upon the world, unleashed a emerald light like a trumpet's call to announce its existence to all. Everything became nothing. The power that roared, that screamed, that cried out as it entered the world, became the beginning and the end.

The creature was lucky stone broke under such power. The aim was slightly off, missed by a hair's breadth. It roared past, it roared into the sky above, roared as it ripped free of the sky, burned through space.

It struck an asteroid more comparable to a small planetoid several hundred light years away. It had been on a direct collision course with Earth and was therefore obliterated before it could reach the planet. It would have caused a new extinction, cracked the planet into fragments. It would have done much It it hadn't been obliterated by the released energy.

A creature blackened entirely by burns crashed into the ground. Being such close to such power was still as if one was close to a sun, a sun that burned thousands of times stronger than the one that burned at the core of the solar system.

The spears of light, each as large as buildings, began to fall then. The pitiful creature, still alive through a miracle of the divine, willed them to eradicate whatever monster laid below.

In blackened hands a blade of true magnificence burned with golden light. Blackened hands slowly turned pale once more. A mouth burned shut was renewed and was a gateway for laughter born from true insanity.

The wings of Star Twilight were unfurled, grew to canopies of great size to cover all those below. A gluttonous darkness was not yet satisfied. It became like a black hole for the light that rained down upon them all, turned the rain of twisted light with enough power to level the city several times over into nothing but memories. The light became nothing. The darkness consumed it all, consumed and thirsted for more.

The wings bulged, the endless emptiness that they were began to spread. The maiden that bore the wings closed eyes of darkness, eyes that held endless stars as much as they held endless darkness. The darkness spread still. A cloak enshrouded the fair skin from sight. Stars burned with enough light to blind as the darkness was sealed shut.

Asia Argento turned her eyes from the already fading Star Twilight to the two Exorcists that she had avoided as best she could. The rings of Twilight Healing flashed with light as she made use of the Sacred Gear that had once made her so revered. The same blessing had destroyed her life, sent her adrift from a church that no longer desired her, from a congregation that no longer recognized her as anything but a heretic deserving of death.

The blessing she had been given from her Lord was used on those that served his will. She would never refuse to use her gift, refuse to help one who needed it.

Even if one was a Devil.

"I can't believe it." The creature spoke. Where once it had been a blackened soon to be corpse, it became the pale skinned creature of five pairs of dark wings and pointed ears. "You're Azazel's new pet project."

"Asia, take those two and get out of here." Issei didn't turn away from the creature he would be killing as King's Dragon appeared. He didn't hear whatever words it spoke. His voice was without anything that betrayed feeling anything. His eyes were dead, no light shined in them and no darkness swirled in them. There was nothing within them.

Everything that could have once swirled within those brown orbs would only prove to be a distraction to his mission.

They were discarded for now.

"I won't let you fight alone." The nun's eyes were void of life as she stepped forward. She stood at his side. "He's a Fallen Angel, a powerful one, and he has a Holy Sword. Star Twilight can drain it."

Star Twilight returned. King's Dragon shared a glance with the Stand next to it before focusing on the creature before it.

Twin marks burned where they were hidden from sight of others but never from those that bore them.

Both had been victims of the Arrow that burned where it touched. Both had been shot by the Arrow that froze their blood, their bones, their flesh, and their heart.

It pierced her back again. It twisted around her spin, coiled like a snake. Her throat was not her own, a creature took hold that knew only pain, knew only how to scream. It twisted and it burned. It crushed and broke. It burned everywhere it touched, it froze what it never did. Pain became nothing. Pain became everything it finally began to move, it moved up and up and up and up. Dust that was once bone, a shredded layer of what had once been muscle, and a coating of blood concealed it within, let it burn and burn hotter and hotter. It pierced her throat from behind to stop her screams in the end. It tore itself down, it burrowed deeper and deeper. It finally reached what it wanted, reached its prize.

It pierced her heart. Jagged shards of glass replaced her blood the moment it did.

The chill was gone.

The fires of hell burned too cold for the flames that filled her veins.

It became everything.

She had begged the Lord to kill her when the fires burned and burned. When she felt as if all she was and every would be was this endless flame, she begged God to take her away. He had answered her with the mercy of darkness, an endless sea of darkness there was no escape from. She fell so gratefully to the bottom. The darkness crushed her, hid her away from the pain that laid above the all consuming nothingness.

Star Twilight had been what carried her from the blackness on wings of a greater darkness. Star Twilight had found her a path from the darkness the Lord had blessed her with by a pair of eyes that were an endless expanse of light and darkness. Star Twilight had taken her light from her when she no longer wished for it, had guided her from the abyss into light once more.

It had taken her light and never given it back.

Now it stole from the creature. Now it took from it and wouldn't give it back.

The sword died. Holy was light so Star Twilight had taken it all. Star Twilight had taken it all and wanted more.

It was such a greedy Stand.

The light was back, both back from a spark not from the blade but from the creature.

The Stand consumed it again.

King's Dragon moved.

The world turned green.

* * *

AN: I conclude the Excalibur Arc!

Actual comment time: That's really it. There's not much else I can address here without just referring to it in another chapter that I want to write more at the moment. I wouldn't expect much in terms of schedule for updates (as always with my stories). I dislike DxD in execution so I'm not motivated to write this with that much care for compliance with canon. One Bizarre Emperor is my attempt to take most of the tropes I've seen used endless times in other DxD stories and ignore them. Super perverted Issei? Gone. Working with Devils? Gone. Overpowered? Kept (What? I said most of the tropes, not all). Harem? Gone. Being a Demi-god/Incarnation/Insert random thing here? Gone. Liking Rias? Gone. Beyond that, not much to a plan. I have a general idea towards the ending/my complete removal of canon plot and substitution of my own in its place but that comes after what I plan to do with the next chapter. Or two.

A quick add on before I end this update: Can anyone guess all the game titles I kind of blatantly uses synonyms in the titles for? Can anyone guess who the arcade's proprietor is? Review/PM the answers. If you can get more than fifty percent right (pretty hard with...7 games? Hold on a second. Road Brawler, Mega Mash Bros, Silver Fist, Nasty and Nitro, Space Wolf, Chronicles of Ana, Mansion Malice. Yeah, it's 7. And can't forget about Mario Zeppeli! So 8 actually), you can win something.

Something can range from answers to the plot, answers on the general future of the story, a new game in the arcade, a shout out in the story, an omake (never really done one before so might as well make it special), whatever makes sense really.

Onward to review replies.

Lazymanjones96: I hope One Bizarre Emperor remains interesting and entertaining for you.

Sasuke75249: Thanks.

beyblademaster3198: Wait? I've got to look at that contract again. If it really is that easy to exploit for them I'll fix it. Also he was kind of in a no win situation there. He can't keep everyone safe so he had to go with minimal damage to them.

Ren: Make an account. Write something better. Probably won't even read this...Oh well.

Guest: Asia? Not likely to bite it with a Stand. Parents? Just refer to what happened with Irina getting scratched up and multiply appropriately.

Bisaster: The perversion has been toned down heavily since the last incident. I think it was with a naked Rias. Free to correct me if I'm wrong.

akeNat001: Thanks and considered it done.

TheLaughingStalkGuy: The only Stand Cry that made any real sense.

Namikaze Uzumaki Potter: I was honestly just writing him ignoring everyone who wanted to get in the way of his nice quiet life. That's pretty much all he wants for the first chapters. It'll probably change to something else later down the line. And updated the story has been.

Asoiaf fanatic: Thanks and your advice has been taken.

Dazzazzle: DxD is basically asking him to be made OP. And at the very least I endeavor to put forth at least decent grammar. I hate catching typos later but they happen regardless.

Kamencolin: I tried to at least make it entertaining.

Anyway, that's all.

PM any questions/comments/whatever you want. Review if you want.

Peace.


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